broom, brush & mop july 2010

July 2010

Broom, Brush & Mop MagazineS E R V I N G T H E I N D U S T R Y S I N C E 1 9 1 2

The Broom BusinessSales Still FillingTraditional RoleCrystal Lake Mfg.

Quinn Broom Works

Little Rock Broom Works

American Broom Co.

To Improve BusinessSqueegee Companies

Use Innovation,Customer Service

Haviland Corp.Unger Enterprises

Ettore Products

Aero Tool

Finished GoodsImports Grow

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BBM.July.v 6/28/10 3:53 PM

Broom, Brush & MopA RANKIN PUBLISHING PUBLICATION July 2010 Volume 100, Number 7

PAGE 4 BROOM, BRUSH & MOP July 2010

CALENDAR

NOVEMBER 9 - 12, 2010ISSA/INTERCLEAN®, Orlando, FLInformation: 800-225-4772

NOVEMBER 18 - 19, 2010National Broom & Mop Meeting, St. Louis, MOInformation: 800-626-7282 or 800-637-7739

MARCH 6 - 8, 2011International Home & Housewares Show, Chicago, ILInformation: 847-292-4200

MARCH 23 - 26, 2011ABMA Annual Convention, Austin, TXInformation: 630-631-5217

MAY 10 - 12, 2011National Hardware Show, Las Vegas, NVInformation: 203-840-5622

MAY 9 - 11, 2012InterBrush, Freiburg, GermanyInformation: www.inter-brush.com

ASSOCIATIONSAMERICAN BRUSH MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION

2111 W. Plum St., Aurora, IL 60506 • (630) 631-5217

AMERICAN HARDWARE MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION801 North Plaza Drive, Schaumburg, IL 60173-4977 • (847) 605-1025

FEIBP EUROPEAN BRUSH FEDERATIONP.O. Box 90154, 5000 LG Tilburg, The Netherlands • 00 31 13 5944 678

INTERNATIONAL SANITARY SUPPLY ASSOCIATION7373 N. Lincoln Avenue, Lincolnwood, IL 60646-1799 • (847) 982-0800

INTERNATIONAL HOUSEWARES ASSOCIATION6400 Shafer Court, Suite 650, Rosemont, IL 60018 • (847) 292-4200

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BROOM, BRUSH & MOP (ISSN 0890-2933) is published monthly at 204 E. Main St.,P.O. Box 130, Arcola, Illinois 61910. Telephone: (217) 268-4959. Subscriptions are $25 in theUnited States; $35 in Canada and Mexico; all others $110. The $110 foreign subscriptionsinclude first class air mail postage. Arrangements can be made for first class postage for theUnited States, Canada and Mexico. Single copies of issues are $2 for subscribers; $5 for non-subscribers, postage extra. The Suppliers Directory issue is $10 per copy.

BROOM, BRUSH & MOP is a monthly trade magazine devoted to news of broom, brushand mop manufacturers and allied industries. It was established in 1912 as the Broom &Broom Corn News. It was entered as second class mail matter Feb. 27, 1912, at the U.S. PostOffice in Arcola, Illinois, under the Act of March 3, 1879.

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FEATURES

CO-PUBLISHERS

Don Rankin [email protected]

Linda [email protected]

EDITOR

Harrell [email protected]

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Rick [email protected]

GRAPHIC/PRODUCTION

Jennie GraceDavid OpdykeRECEPTION

Sandy Pierce

STAFF

Broom Business Sales StillFilling Traditional Role _________________________6

Squeegee Companies Use Innovation, Customer Service To Improve Business ___________12

2010: The First Half Brush Companies See Improving Sales ___________17

Imports Continue Rising Trend For The First Quarter __________________________20

March Imports & Exports_______________________22

Broom Corn Dealer Survey _____________________29

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202 N. Oak • Box 250Arcola, IL 61910217-268-4955 • Fax 268-3113www.thomasmonahan.com

ArcolaBroom Corn Festival Race

2009

We Go The EXTRA MILE!

2009

JIM PAT TIM

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BROOM, BRUSH & MOP July 2010

By Harrell KerkhoffBroom, Brush & Mop Editor

Brooms in one form or another arecleaning products that have trulystood the test of time. The history

of brooms is extensive and worldwidedemand continues despite numerous chal-lenges, especially for today’s U.S. broomproducers and/or suppliers.

The number of companies still makingbrooms in the United States has decreasedsubstantially over the years, as has theyearly tonnage of imported broom corninto this country. Many domestic vendorsthat once made brooms at home are nowimporting these items from foreign coun-tries such as Mexico.

Despite the many changes that havetaken place within the U.S. broom industry,especially since the 1994 implementationof the North American Free TradeAgreement (NAFTA), both natural andplastic brooms are still being made and/orsupplied by several U.S. companies. Thisis due, in part, to the basic value of theproduct. Although there continues to beadvances with many types of cleaningproducts, it’s still hard to find a home,garage, office building, restaurant, schoolor manufacturing facility without sometype of broom.

Broom, Brush & Mop Magazine recent-ly interviewed four U.S. companies thateither make and/or supply different typesof brooms to find out how their businesseshave been doing as of late in the broomindustry.

For the past 75 years, Crystal LakeManufacturing, Inc., located inAutaugaville, AL, has been pro-

ducing broom corn brooms with the sametradition of workmanship that the companystarted with in 1935.

“We manufacture household and jani-tor/warehouse corn brooms along withlarge and small angle brooms, whisk andlobby brooms, toy brooms — pretty muchthe whole gamut in upright brooms. Wemake both all-corn and mixed fiberbrooms,” Crystal Lake PresidentEdward Pearson said.

Crystal Lake also manufactures a varietyof synthetic brooms for household andinstitutional use (including those featuringpolypropylene and PVC fibers) as well aswet and dry mops, and broom and mophandles. Other items supplied by the com-pany include brushes, buckets andwringers, and various cleaning accessories.

The history of Crystal Lake dates back tothe Great Depression when Pearson’sgrandparents, the late Edward HolmesPearson and Ercille Willett Pearson,founded the company. The initial intentwas to provide work for unemployedsharecroppers. Pearson’s parents, Jamesand the late Sybil Pearson, were alsoinvolved in running the company.

Now headquartered in a 225,000-square-foot facility in central Alabama, CrystalLake features an advance weekday deliv-ery system that includes the company’sown fleet of trucks. This fleet transportsitems throughout the entire eastern half ofthe United States — from Texas toMinnesota and from Maine to Florida.

When it comes to brooms, Pearson seesdifferent demand shifts taking placedepending on specific geographic regionsof the country. For example, the northeast-ern U.S. market places a strong emphasisright now on synthetic brooms. Pearson

said this may be due to greater pressurebeing experienced in the area from importsand the higher price of today’s broom cornbrooms.

“The corn broom, however, is still verypopular in the southeast, while there is agreater mixture in demand (between dif-ferent types of broom fiber) from peoplein the Midwest,” Pearson said.

All Crystal Lake products are soldthrough distribution. Pearson said themajority of end-users found with his com-pany’s broom products come from thecommercial marketplace.

“There is some big box retail and hard-ware business that our products are sold to,but the vast majority of our business targetsinstitutional and commercial grade (dis-tributors),” he said.

Challenges continue to abound for thoseU.S. manufacturers that have remained inthe broom business. Pearson said foreigncompetition is a big problem as a large per-centage of brooms purchased by U.S. con-sumers are now made in Mexico or othercountries.

“Unfortunately, this has caused a drasticdecline in the quality of the average broomon the market. However, that is not thecase at Crystal Lake,” he said.

Another major challenge for U.S. broommanufacturers is finding enough raw mate-rial at reasonable prices to make corn andother types of brooms. This problem hasbeen compounded in recent years becauseof security issues found in many areas ofnorthern Mexico where broom corn isgrown and processed. Violence betweendrug gangs and law enforcement in thisregion of Mexico has reached high levels.This is making it harder for those in boththe Mexican and U.S. broom corn industry

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July 2010� BROOM, BRUSH & MOP PAGE 7

to conduct business. Mexican farmers have also been planting

more acres of other types of crops that canprovide a higher return on their investment.One problem with harvesting and process-ing broom corn is that it remains verylabor intensive.

“I’ve never seen raw material this hardto get. It’s now very dangerous to even goto the (Mexican) regions where broomcorn is grown,” Pearson said. “I alwaysprefer and recommend an all-cornbroom, but with today’s prices, more andmore people are switching to mixed(yucca) fiber brooms which we also make.

“While an all-corn broom is a superiorproduct, mixed fiber brooms still performadequately in most applications. Mixedfiber brooms may not last as long, butwhen the end-user wants that immediatesavings versus long term, mixed broomsare a functional alternative.”

According to Pearson, “Nothing sweepsbetter than broom corn brooms. With amixed fiber broom, the (yucca) fiber isused for filler. There is the benefit of theoutside hurl (of a mixed fiber broom) pick-ing up particulate matter, but if a person isusing an all broom corn broom the wholebroom sweeps better. It’s also moredurable, less brittle and lasts longer — butit costs more.”

Another challenge to selling broomswithin the current U.S. marketplace is theslow economy. It doesn't help that a lot ofpeople tend to use the same household orstreet broom for a long period of time.

Pearson explained that he was once toldof a study that showed most consumerswill keep a broom longer than a car.

“It’s definitely a durable good on thehousehold end; and people are makingthem last even longer now (during the sloweconomy),” he said. “A broom is not themost expensive durable good that a personwill buy, but with the price of broom corn

going up consumers can still get stickershock compared to what they used to pay.This is having an effect on the industry.”

To help combat today’s challenges,Pearson said his company focuses everyday on improving customer service, quali-ty and delivery.

“We offer quality and we offer greatservice. This is the only way Americanmanufacturers can survive in this market.We find those customers who value thisfocus,” Pearson said.

He added that, as a company, CrystalLake also looks to add products that havealready been established in the market.

“We only provide tried and true clean-ing tools. You will not find the latest gim-mick or toy in our line. Once a newproduct has established itself as a func-tional tool in our market, then we add animproved version to our selection.

“We try to find raw materials that give usa slight competitive edge in pricing withouthaving to sacrifice quality,” Pearson said.“It’s not easy to find products like that, butwe do have regular success in this effort.”

As for the future, Pearson said CrystalLake officials will continue to work tomake sure the company remains a survivorand becomes more efficient with eachpassing year.

“Our company arose in the GreatDepression, and we have seen tougheconomies like this before. With such chal-lenges are also opportunities. Improvingyour efficiencies in times like these notonly ensures survival, but contributes toeven greater prosperity and growth whenthe better days do come.

“It’s important for us to find ways toreduce costs, increase margins and increasesales while avoiding price increases asmuch as possible for our products,” heexplained. “This is becoming more diffi-cult as the country is now almost in a stateof deflation. Deflation is not necessarily a

good thing for our economy, and especial-ly for our industry.

“Most companies face many of the samechallenges. How each one steps up to theplate and meets those challenges deter-mines survival.”

Pearson said the NAFTA trade agree-ment, adopted in 1994, has decimatedcountless industries including broom man-ufacturers.

“There are only a few true Americanbroom manufacturers left, and all of thosehave placed their emphasis on quality,”Pearson said. “While Crystal Lake doesimport several products, we prefer to makeeverything we can right here in the USA.

“If consumers don’t start demandingmore American made products, the econo-my will continue to worsen. Every busi-ness depends on spending. Every timeanother person loses (his/her) job to for-eign competition, (he/she) has less moneyto spend for the benefit of another busi-ness, no matter what it is. It is a viciouscycle. Buy American.”

Contact: Crystal Lake Mfg., Inc., P.O. Box 159, Autaugaville, AL 36003.

Phone: 334-365-3342; Fax: 334-365-3332.

Website: www.crystallakemfg.com.

Although he can’t fully explain why,Quinn Broom Works PresidentMark Quinn reported in mid-June

that his company has experienced a spikein business during the past 90 to 120 days.

“There has been more of a push inbusiness during this time period thanwhat we have experienced in almostthree-plus years since we started notic-ing problems with the economy,” Quinnsaid. “I have talked with customers andsuppliers to find out the cause of thissurge in demand, but nobody seems tohave an answer as to why or how it is tak-ing place, or what future demand (for

Edward and James Pearson of Crystal Lake Manufacturing

Mark Quinnof Quinn Broom Works

Everette Hatcher IIIof Little Rock Broom Works

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brooms) will be.” In response to this increase in business,

the Greenup, IL, company has hired extrapeople while some existing employeeshave worked overtime. Quinn said therewas no indication at the beginning of thisyear that demand for the company’sbrooms would experience such anupswing. He added that, as a businessowner, major peaks and valleys do make itharder to properly prepare for future pro-duction levels.

“We work hard to cater to our cus-tomers. Very few of them, however, arewilling to carry a large inventory orbank on how good business may be pasta 30-day period,” Quinn said.

Such uncertainty over order levelsmakes it hard for a manufacturer to proper-ly prepare 30 to 90 days in advance, letalone over an entire calendar year. On theother hand, Quinn said many customerswant certain guarantees in place from theirmanufacturers that cover at least one year.

“Despite these challenges, we continueto react, deliver and keep the quality highon our products. We don’t farm out workand we are not a distributor,” Quinnsaid. “Our company remains in manu-facturing and it’s working. I don’t haveall the answers regarding the future. AllI know is our system is currently work-ing.”

Quinn Broom Works was founded in1925. After three generations the companyis still family owned and operated. It pro-duces a wide variety of upright wound,nail, kitchenette, whisk, lobby and toybrooms. Fiber used for these broom prod-ucts include broom corn, yucca and plastic.These brooms can be manufactured to cer-tain specifications made by customers.

Included in the company’s customerbase are janitorial supply houses, hardwarestores and beauty salons.

“We have customers who have been withus for 50 or more years. A lot of these rela-tionships have developed over time towhere Quinn Broom Works graduallybecame a company’s supplier of brooms,”Quinn said. “Our products have developeda positive track record.”

Another strength the east central Illinoiscompany enjoys is being able to deliverbroom products in a short amount of time,especially compared to foreign imports.Quinn said many broom customers enjoythe quick lead times offered by QuinnBroom Works and the ability to specialize

their orders. “There are competitors that can’t change

their (lines) very well because they areusing foreign products,” Quinn said.

A majority of Quinn Broom Works’brooms are sold into the household orindustrial marketplace, with a leaningtoward the industrial side.

“We have always been more of an indus-trial supplier such as with the jan/sanindustry, but we still make a lot of house-hold brooms that are sold into retail,”Quinn said.

He added that due to more carpetingfound in homes over the years and with theadvancement of various cleaning tools andmaterials such as microfiber, the householdbroom business has taken hits not alwaysfound on the industrial broom side.

“That is why we began focusing more onindustrial and jan/san type accounts, butwe still hit all areas in broom sales,” Quinnsaid.

Quinn Broom Works utilizes various typesof machinery such as broom winders, stitch-ers, nailers and a stamp press machine toproduce in excess of 150-plus dozen broomsper day. Quinn said the real strength ofbroom production, however, remains withthe operators of this machinery.

“The basics of making a broom are stillthe same. The operator is really the key.Making brooms is something that is nottaught in the average classroom. It’s a tradethat takes time to master. It may take sixmonths to a year to become very good,”Quinn said, adding this is up to each indi-vidual’s abilities and dedication.

He explained that when making qualitybrooms, it’s not just about how manybrooms a single person can produce in agiven period of time, but the quality ofthose brooms as well.

Making sure customers are aware ofwhat type of fiber is in the brooms they arepurchasing from Quinn Broom Works, thecompany classifies its brooms through theASTM International PS 135 standard. Thisis a provisional specification for labelingupright brooms for consumer and institu-tional use. Brooms are classified andlabeled according to material content inone of three categories:

• 100 percent Broom Corn — a broomthat only contains broom corn fiber;

• Natural Fiber — containing naturalfiber and broom corn with less than 100percent broom corn fiber content; and,

• Substitute Fiber — containing any

combination of natural and filler fiber butwith no broom corn fiber.

Providing such specifications is justanother way Quinn Broom Works tries toproperly service its accounts, Quinn said.Remaining solely a broom manufacturerhas also helped.

“We are not trying to make other prod-ucts. (Quinn Broom Works) used to makedeck mops but part of that distribution fellaway; and we also used to have other com-panies produce brushes for us but this didnot properly fall into place. Since then, wehave stayed focused on brooms and this ispart of why we are still here,” Quinn said.“We have built a rapport with customersover time and are able to fill in the gaps forthem as needed. We have been told bysome of our customers that we sometimesget beat on price by other vendors, but wedon’t get beat on timely delivery and qual-ity.

“Many times our products do come at ahigher price, but as my father (the lateKenneth Quinn) used to say, ‘We are notmaking brooms, we are building them.’”

Quinn explained there remain short cutsthat can be taken with manufacturing andmaterial selection when making a broom,but the end product is not nearly as good.Focusing on quality, he added, could beone reason the company has seen anincrease in broom sales as of late.

Keeping active in the broom industry hasalso been important for the Quinn family.Mark Quinn’s grandfather, Dewey Quinn,started the business 85 years ago and wasfollowed by his son, Kenneth Quinn, whoput in 67 years of service with the compa-ny.

Kenneth Quinn also participated in sev-eral lobbying efforts to help maintain gov-ernment protection concerning broom cornimports. He was co-founder of theBroomcorn Broom Manufacturers annualmeeting, an event designed to be a low costway for broom corn broom manufacturersto get together once a year and discuss sit-uations critical to the industry.

This group was crucial in the correctionof errors in broom duties that were intro-duced when the Harmonized TariffSchedule was adopted in 1988. It was alsoheavily involved in lobbying efforts whenthe NAFTA treaty was being negotiated.

The annual meeting continues today andhas been expanded to include mop manu-facturers. The National Broom & MopMeeting now takes place every November.

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Mark Quinn is co-chairman of this year’sevent along with Jim Monahan, of TheThomas Monahan Company, located inArcola, IL.

Contact: Quinn Broom Works, Inc., P.O. Box 575, 1527 IL RT 121,

Greenup, IL 62428. Phone: 217-923-3181;

Fax: 217-923-5150.Website: www.quinnbroomworks.com.

Ten years into its second century ofbusiness, Little Rock BroomWorks continues to remain true to

its name by producing U.S. made broomsas well as related cleaning products.Started in 1900 in downtown Little Rock,AR, the company was later moved to alocation in the city where the ClintonPresidential Library now stands. In 1985,Little Rock Broom Works was movedagain, this time to the southwestern part ofthe city.

Despite its various moves over the past110 years, the company has remained afamily business. It had been run by Benand Wilber Lessonberry of Little Rockfor years, and in 1976 it was sold toEverette Hatcher Jr., of the ChickasawBroom Company, of Memphis.

The father of Everette Hatcher Jr., wasvery active in the broom industry as well,while his son, Everette Hatcher III, isnow president of Little Rock BroomWorks. Harold Hatcher was also an activeowner of the company for many years. Hewas the brother of Everette Hatcher Jr., andthe uncle of Everette Hatcher III. HaroldHatcher died in 2008.

Today, the company manufactures cornbrooms, mops and mop heads, while alsodistributing such items as squeegees, mopbuckets, wet floor signs and related clean-ing products.

“The jan/san industry seems to be abigger portion of our business than inthe past, while the grocery supply busi-ness has shrunk over the years. Themarketplace is more streamlined,”Hatcher III said. “We sell mainly to dis-count stores, hardware and drug storechains and to jan/san. We also sell to gro-cery wholesalers. This used to be 90 per-cent of our business back in the 1970s, butnow it’s probably less than 10 percent.”

Hatcher said he can remember a timewhen there was a grocery wholesaler inalmost every town of size in Arkansas. Herecalled the Hatchers’ first involvement in

an Arkansas grocery wholesaler conven-tion during the mid-1970s when Arkansasfootball coach Lou Holtz spoke andArkansas Attorney General Bill Clintonmade an appearance.

“We gave out probably 400 toy broomsat our booth at the convention, which wasattended by different grocery wholesalerslocated throughout the state,” Hatcherrecalled. “In Arkansas today, however, Ithink there are only one or two left in theentire state. Just recently, (a large grocerywholesaler) in Little Rock went out ofbusiness. The marketplace has radicallychanged since the 1970s. The big retailershave taken over in this area. There are nolonger grocery wholesalers in every town.

“Even in the jan/san industry, we haveseen fewer local janitorial supply compa-nies remaining in business. There seem tobe more (end-users) with contracts withlarge nationwide jan/san distributors.”

Another challenge for Little RockBroom Works is trying to compete againstnationwide manufacturers of cleaningproducts that enjoy huge advertising budg-ets. Hatcher said regional manufacturerssuch as Little Rock Broom Works don’thave a lot of opportunities to combat thistype of advertising.

Hatcher also addressed the need formore sources of broom corn other than justMexico.

“As an industry, we were hoping thatChina would provide more broom cornopportunities as well as Ethiopia. We werereceiving broom corn from Ethiopia five tosix years ago and it seemed like a promis-ing situation, but problems have developedsince that time. This has been very discour-aging,” Hatcher said. “I’m hoping thatother countries will start to plant broomcorn. There needs to be more competitionin order to receive better prices.

“Violence in association with the drugwars in Mexico is also a concern. Ourbroom corn suppliers are telling us thatthey can’t get into certain regions.”

Despite these challenges, Little RockBroom Works has been blessed with aloyal customer base, one that appreciate’sthe company’s ability to provide qualityproducts and service.

“We have always tried to emphasizequality with our handles, our broomcorn and our entire workmanship,”Hatcher said. “This has enabled us towork with a lot of faithful customers.”

He added that his company has also been

blessed with many loyal employees whobring with them to work everyday a posi-tive attitude and good product knowledge.Another positive has been an increase inbusiness, as of late, in some areas of thebroom market. Hatcher attributes this tomore people staying home and cleaningtheir houses during a down economy, thusthe need for more products such as broomsand mops.

On the other hand, the hardware tradeside of the business has been off. Hatchersaid this is due to the general downturn inconstruction that has been experienced inmany regions of the United States.

“We are hoping the economy will soonbounce back and provide for greater salesin the hardware sector,” Hatcher said.“(Little Rock Broom Works) is also con-stantly looking for products in the market-place that the company can add to its lineand catch the consumer’s attention.

“It’s important to broaden our line, suchas a few years ago when (Little RockBroom Works) added squeegees, wet floorsigns and various types of mop buckets.We know that our customers in the jan/sanindustry need these items, and it savesthem on freight costs if they can combineorders through us. We can provide a one-stop shopping option.”

In looking ahead for the remainder of thecompany’s 110th year and beyond, Hatchersaid he feels good about the future but alsosees “some gray clouds on the horizon.”

As a business owner, he is particularlyconcerned about what he calls “theambiguous situation regarding the newnational health care program.

“I don’t know where our company isgoing to fit in once it all gets worked out.We have no idea. It would be good, as acompany, to know for sure what all of thisinvolves,” Hatcher said. “Our businesscannot take a big hit as far as costs go. Wewould have to pass this onto our cus-tomers, and we have always tried to offerthe lowest prices possible. Our customersappreciate that there is very little fluff inour business, and the fact that we try tostreamline costs.”

Contact: Little Rock Broom Works, P.O. Box 191458,

Little Rock, AR 72219. Phone: 501-562-0311.

One U.S. broom supplier that hasrecently decided to import broomsfrom Mexico instead of manufac-

BBM.July.v 6/28/10 3:54 PM

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turing them itself is American BroomCompany, of Mattoon, IL, a division ofthe Luco Mop Company. This change hastaken place over the past year.

“It’s become more beneficial for us tobuy brooms out of Mexico than it is tomanufacture them in the United States.We can now buy the broom for veryclose to what the raw materials cost tomake that broom,” Luco Mop VicePresident Dennis Shalhoub said.

American Broom Company still pro-duces various types of brushes at itsMattoon facility, while Luco Mop’s opera-tion is headquartered in St. Louis, MO.

Shalhoub added that American Broom’sdecision to become solely a broom suppli-er rather than a manufacturer has had itsbenefits.

“We have gone as far as selling our(broom) machinery. It’s the way of thetimes for us,” he said.

American Broom supplies a wide varietyof broom products, including whisk, toy,household, warehouse and industrial cornbrooms.

“We can get these items out of Mexicowithout any problems,” Shalhoub said.

He noted that there remain just a fewmajor U.S. broom manufacturers, which ismost evident when following the decline ofbroom corn imports into the United Statesover the past 10 to 15 years.

“That is the way the broom industry hasgone. I don’t know how much furtherdown it can go,” Shalhoub said.

He added, however, that those U.S. com-panies that still manufacture and/or supplybrooms today can offer shorter lead timescompared to foreign importers.

“It helps for those customers who can’twait one or two months for a container toarrive. Basically, this is how most (U.S.broom manufacturers and/or suppliers)remain in business,” Shalhoub said. “It’shard, though, when you lose large accounts.The large buyers of brooms are now pur-chasing them out of Mexico. Granted, thequality (of many types of brooms andbrushes) is a lot better in the United States,but lower prices are what many peopleseek. I can remember once losing out onbusiness with a large grocery chain over 2cents per unit / 24 cents per dozen.”

Most brooms supplied by AmericanBroom are sold to janitor supply, construc-

tion trade or hardware wholesalers, accord-ing to Shalhoub, who along with his brother,President John Shalhoub, run the business.

Luco Mop is a third-generation familycompany, which started over 75 years ago.Dennis Shalhoub said U.S. broom manu-facturing has never fully recovered sincethe passage of NAFTA.

“When brooms had a 32 percent duty,there was a good chance of succeeding(with making brooms in the United States).When this was reduced to 16 percent, thatkilled about half the industry, and then (theduty) went to 0 percent,” Shalhoub said.

As of late, the down U.S. economy hasprovided another obstacle for broom sales.

“I would say the economy has influ-enced just about everything that a personbuys,” he said. “I do believe that when theeconomy turns around, then (most busi-ness) will turn around. The trouble is,nobody seems to know for sure how long itwill take for this to occur.”

Contact: Luco Mop Company,3345 Morganford, St. Louis, MO 63116.

Phone: 314-772-5656; Fax: 314-772-5826.

Website: www.lucomop.com.

BBM.July.v 6/28/10 3:54 PM


By Rick MullenBroom, Brush & Mop

Associate Editor

Innovation, flexibility, product expansion and keeping a sharpeye on the bottom line are all ways many companies haveemployed to successfully navigate today’s marketplace.

Broom, Brush & Mop spoke recently with executives fromfour U.S. squeegee manufacturers who outlined how their respec-tive companies have used these business principles to remainviable despite one of the toughest economic stretches in the coun-try’s history.

As it says on Haviland Corporation’s website, www.havi-landcorp.com, squeegees are the company’s primary busi-ness, and not just a sideline.

“Warren and Van Haviland founded Haviland Corporation in1946. The following 60-plus years have resulted in a lot of solidgrowth, industry alliances and friends,” said Haviland VicePresident of Operations Dale Heidbrink. “We started out tooffer quality floor squeegee and continue that today.”

Specializing in high quality industrial grade hand tools for thesanitary supply industry, Haviland, based in Linn, MO, offersfloor and window squeegees; woodblock squeegees; waterb-rooms; stainless steel squeegees and scrapers; extension handles;splashguards; gaskets; replacement cartridges and replacementblades for floor machines; and wet-dry vacuums.

“Slow and steady” is how Heidbrink described business atHaviland during the past year. “We have experienced no majorswings in any segment.”

In keeping the company on an even keel during these down eco-

nomic times, customer service and product innovation have beenkey elements.

“Customer service is something everybody thinks they pro-vide,” Heidbrink said. “However, after you deal with a lot ofcompanies in various industries, it is easy to identify the compa-nies that are dedicated to their customers and are superior.

“We believe in providing direct communication with a knowledge-able, breathing personwhen a customer calls, andhaving the largest varietyof solutions for our cus-tomers’ squeegee needs.We keep it as easy as possi-ble for our customers to dobusiness with us.”

One of Haviland’s hall-mark principles is to helpa customer, new or old,with an innovation orproduct to make his orher job easier. AsHeidbrink pointed out,protecting the environ-ment is one of the maintopics of the day in many industries. With its color-coded andantimicrobial products, Haviland has asserted itself in a majorway in offering environmentally friendly items and solutions.

“One new innovation we are excited about is our new antimi-crobial product line, the Microbe Spiker™,” said companyPresident Jan Haviland. “We have floor and hand-held modelsand have come out with a wiping model we call the ‘Swipe.’”

Dale Heidbrink of Haviland Corporation

BBM.July.v 6/28/10 3:54 PM

The Microbe Spiker squeegee is what the company calls an“attract and attack” antimicrobial product. It is comprised of a bluedouble foam rubber blade infused with an antimicrobial agent.

In the blade are millions of bacteria inhibiting spikes. As theblade moves over surfaces, these spikes remove microbes fromsurfaces by “physical” means, as opposed to using poisons orchemicals. The spikes use a strong positive charge to attract thenegatively charged bacteria. When microorganisms come in con-tact with the Microbe Spiker, the spikes puncture the cell mem-brane. There is no opportunity for cell adaptation or developmentof microbial resistance.

The antimicrobial agent is registered with the EPA and isaccepted by the USDA. In independent testing, the agent provedto be effective against a broad range of microbes (tested to ASTME2149-01 standard with results of a 99 percent reduction).

Another popular product for the past several years has beenHaviland’s Jubilee Floor Squeegee. This plastic squeegee comeswith a unique feature — the blade is replaceable. The squeegee iscolor-coded for customers who are concerned about cross-contam-ination or need a specific color for branding. The Jubilee FloorSqueegee is especially popular in the foodservice industry.

“Haviland is committed to adding new and innovative prod-ucts to broaden its lines and to keep abreast of new technologyand all it has to offer,” Heidbrink said. “We are continuing tocompete with global markets, while keeping our manufacturingin the United States and maintaining the best value for the cus-tomer’s dollar. We are looking to expand our exposure in marketswe are currently serving, as well as new ones we are currentlyexploring.”

While the immediate future of the world’s economy remainsuncertain, Haviland officials are certain that squeegees and relat-ed products will continue to be in high demand.

“The squeegee is an extremely versatile tool and will remain astable market for many years to come,” Heidbrink said. “In thefuture, as in the past, we intend to leverage our flexibility to bemore proactive to industry trends and conditions, while keeping aconstant eye on current conditions.”

Contact: Haviland Corporation, 1 Elmer Lane, P.O. Box 769,Linn, MO, 65051. Phone: 573-897-3672; Fax: 573-897-4497.

Website: www.havilandcorp.com.

Henry and Barbara Unger founded Unger Enterprises,Inc., in 1964 in Hamburg, Germany, to supply products,including squeegees, to the window cleaning industry.

“We make window squeegees and floor squeegees for profes-sional cleaners in many varieties from, heavy-duty industrial mod-els to light-duty plastic ones,” said Mark Unger, president andowner and son of Henry and Barbara Unger, who oversees allaspects of Unger Professional Products globally, including sales,marketing, finance and production.

Unger Enterprises’ squeegee offerings are an important part ofits line of window cleaning systems, which also include T-bars,microfiber strip washers and sleeves, scrapers, poles, squeegeerubbers and other items.

Mark Unger reported that business is “improving” as the U.S.economy shows some signs of rebounding from the severe down-turn of the past couple of years. In weathering the recession, thecompany has relied on its historical long suit of introducing inno-vative products to the marketplace, such as the Carbon Tec Pole

and the ErgoTec® line ofproducts.

“We never slowed ourinvestment in innovation,”Unger said. “Our cus-tomers value return oninvestment, especiallywhen times are tough.

“We can’t just dropprices; that is not how we dobusiness. Therefore, whatwe have done is introducenew products to save laborcosts. We have also broughtout products that featureergonomics to reduce in-juries. We are marketing these types of important benefits to cus-tomers to justify the quality and innovations that we offer. Forexample, we are planning to introduce a revolutionary new floorsqueegee in November of this year that will change the industry.”

Since the company’s inception — the Ungers started workingout of the attic of the home of Barbara Unger’s grandmother —the company has stuck to its core founding principles:n Count customers as the company’s most important asset;n Produce quality cleaning tools designed to improve worker

efficiency and building sanitation; andn Provide solutions that yield cleaner, healthier buildings.“We have very friendly customer service. We have less than

1/10th of 1 percent return rates and turn orders around to our dis-tributor customers within 48 hours,” Unger said. “We survey ourcustomers twice a year to find out how well we are doing in termsof friendliness, shipping time, etc. We generally receive over 90percent excellent ratings.

“We work with our distributors to help them solve their cus-tomers’ problems, whether they are in the industrial, janitorial orfoodservice market segments.”

Soon after the company went into business, Unger Enterprisesexpanded its product line beyond just the window cleaning marketto become a leader in the sanitary supply and retail cleaning fields.

The company considers its mission is to “produce high quality,innovative tools that help professionals clean more productivelyand safely, as well as offering superior customer service to both


Mark Ungerof Unger Enterprises

BBM.July.v 6/28/10 3:54 PM


end-users and distributors.”Today, Unger Enterprises has offices in the United States,

Germany, India and the United Kingdom, as well as manufactur-ing facilities in the United States, Germany and India. Unger sellsits cleaning products to more than 80 countries worldwide.

Unger Enterprises has also embraced environmentally friendlypractices and products. The company’s technologically advancedproducts decrease risks associated with bacteria, mold and air-borne contaminants by several means, including:n Designing tools with replaceable parts, many of which are

recyclable;n The institution of globally recognized color-coding systems

that ease the training process and reduce the hazards of cross-con-tamination between low- and high-risk areas; andn Pioneering advanced cleaning technology with microfiber

textiles that reduce bacteria levels, conserve water, increase pro-ductivity and decrease workplace injuries.

Some of the company’s green cleaning tools and programs engi-neered to increase productivity, efficiency and cleanliness, whilemaintaining a low environmental impact, include a dual-chamberbucket system, microfiber mops and cloths and the SmartColorCleaning System.

The SmartColor Cleaning System combines cleaning technolo-gy with the sanitation and productivity benefits of visual coding.Color-coded enhancements on the company’s ergonomic cleaningtools help cleaning professionals easily organize equipment. Thecleaning system is designed to improve hygiene and performancefor cleaner facilities, as well as reduce risk.

The SmartColor Cleaning System was one of the product linesUnger Enterprises highlighted at the National RestaurantAssociation Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago in May2010.

Another popular innovation is Unger Enterprise’s HiFlo™PureWater Cleaning System, which allows for the cleaning of highwindows without using a squeegee.

As the company moves into the future, Unger is optimistic.“We feel good about our company,” he said.Challenges associated with the economy remain, such as the

slow rebound of employment numbers.“There is also a trend toward some companies importing knock-

off items directly from China. In addition, raw material priceshave dramatically increased. Also, inflationary and price pressuresare coming down the pike,” Unger said. “However, we will con-tinue to invest in research and development to create innovativetools that meet the needs of the end-users we serve.”

Contact: Unger Enterprises, Inc., 425 Asylum St., Bridgeport, CT 06610.

Phone: 203-336-3344; Fax: 203-336-2644. Web site: www.ungerglobal.com.

When Ettore Steccone came to the United States fromItaly in the early 1920s, he chose window cleaning asa profession. Window cleaning equipment of that day

was heavy, cumbersome and inefficient. A typical squeegee of thetime was made of steel with double rubber blades and 12 screwsto hold it together.

Happy with his new life in America pursuing his window clean-ing business, but unhappy with the equipment he was using,Steccone began developing a revolutionary T-shaped squeegee

made of brass with a single precision slit rubber blade, whichdried windows virtually streak free. After much trial and error,Steccone patented his new squeegee in the mid-1930s, calling itthe “New Deal.”

“We have been in business since 1936,” said Ettore ProductsCo. owner Diane Smahlik, Steccone’s daughter. “My fatherinvented the modern-day squeegee and we now have about 400items in our professional and retail lines. We remain a family-owned business. My son, Christopher, is currently the company’spresident.”

Ettore’s professional squeegees are made with brass, stainlesssteel and aluminum. Some retail products are made with plastichandles. Perhaps the most critical part of a quality squeegee is therubber. It is on this component that Ettore stakes much of its rep-utation as a leader in the industry.

Steccone’s formula for making the rubber used in Ettoresqueegees has been a long-kept secret, much the same way assome famous soft drink ingredients.

“We are known for our rubber. It is thought by many to be thebest in the world,” Smahlik said. “We sell about 6 million feet ofrubber each year.”

Before he began manufacturing his smaller, lighter and moreefficient new invention, Steccone tried to get other companies thatsupplied the window clean-ing trade interested in hisNew Deal squeegee. Hewas repeatedly told his newsqueegee was too small andtoo light and would not beaccepted by the windowcleaning community.

He finally took his NewDeal to one the largest andbest-known suppliers of theday, the J. RacensteinCompany in New York City,NY, and was rejected.Steccone put his credibilityon the line and bet the ownerthe best hat in NewYork Citythat in a month the J.Racenstein Company would be begging to buy his new squeegee.

He then gave his squeegee to his fellow window cleaners andasked them to use the tool for one day to see if it was superior tothe equipment they were currently using.

The plan worked and when window cleaners began askingwhere they could get a New Deal squeegee, Steccone told them tocontact the J. Racenstein Company. A Borsalino hat, the best NewYork City had to offer at that time, still has a special place of honorin the company’s boardroom.

Steccone went on to manufacture his products out of his garageat his home until the early 1950s. Today, Ettore is headquarteredin a 96,000 square-foot facility in Alameda, CA.

“We have been in our new building for about four years,”Smahlik said. “This is our fourth or fifth factory.”

Since it beginnings during the Great Depression in the mid-1930s, Ettore Products has weathered other economic downturns,including the Great Recession of the past couple of years.

“Business has been pretty good. We have felt the impact of the

Diane Smahlikof Ettore Products

BBM.July.v 6/28/10 3:54 PM

BROOM CAPS BRUSH and HANDLE FERRULES

MANUFACTURING INCORPORATEDP.O. Box 6505 Wolcott, CT 06716 Phone 203-879-1481


current downturn more than previous recessions, but business hasbeen picking up since the first part of this year,” Smahlik said.“Since about February we have seen a change.”

Smahlik explained that it is typical during an economic down-turn for facilities to cut back on their maintenance budgets.

“If a facility has its windows cleaned three times a year, theymay cut back to once a year,” she said. “This hurts us as well asthe end-user. We just watch our pennies responsibly like most peo-ple and try to be as efficient as we can, while keeping our inven-tory in control.

“These days, the biggest challenge is to make sure you can stillsupply a quality product at a decent price and make money. Wearen’t here to do it for nothing. We make sure our productsmaintain the high standards that we expect, and we are alwaysseeking better ways to service our customers.”

In addition to the economy, the necessity of dealing in overseasmarkets in recent years has also proven to be a challenge.

“Because of the change in the climate of the country, we havehad to have more products made offshore than we would like,”Smahlik said. “The basic products are still made here, but a goodpercentage of our items are made offshore. Shipping can be com-plicated and challenging, as we have to make sure the products gethere on time.”

Smahlik said it is not unusual for shipments to large U.S. retail-ers to take precedence over shipments for smaller companies, suchas Ettore.

“One of the toughest challenges today is to keep shippingissues at a minimum so we don’t have to deal with back ordersand things of that nature. We are always looking to see if thereare operations we can bring back (onshore) at a reasonable cost.”

Along with offering innovative and quality products, Ettore’shistorical commitment to customer service has been a critical fac-tor in the company’s long-term success.

“We are proud of our customer service,” Smahlik said. “Weassist our customers in any way possible. Since the inception ofthe company, whether a person is a $10 customer or a $10,000customer, he or she is treated the same. That has always been amajor point of emphasis here.”

In addition to its varied line of squeegees, Ettore also offerswindow cleaning accessories, such as poles, high reach systems,scrapers, buckets, soaps, cleaners, holsters and belts.

The company’s new Aquaclean Pure Water System has alsogained in popularity in recent years.

“The Aquaclean system uses pure water to clean windows uphigh,” Smahlik said. “The system takes all the minerals out of thewater. The window cleaner can just scrub and clean and move onwithout using a squeegee because the pure water system will notleave any residue on the window at all.”

With Ettore’s quality squeegees and unique rubber formulation,Smahlik is optimistic the company’s products will continue to besome of the most sought after in the industry by both profession-als and casual end-users alike.

“We have made it through some difficulties with the economyand our future looks good,” Smahlik said. “Ettore is a family-busi-ness and we can still make a living off our business and provideemployment for our people. We have many longtime employees.

“Many companies make squeegees, but they don’t know howto make rubber like ours. Each piece that goes out of here is stillhand inspected by a person. We guarantee that whatever we shipis clean and functional.”

Contact: Ettore Products Company, 2100 North Loop Rd., Alameda, CA 94502. Phone: 510-748-4130; Fax: 510-748-4146.

E-mail: [email protected]: www.ettore.com.

Established in 1977, Aero Tool, Inc., of Franklin Park, IL,located in the greater Chicago metro area, manufactures awide variety of custom and standard floor and window

squeegees and components.“We offer floor and window squeegees of many sizes and

shapes to handle any industrial need a customer might have,” saidAero Tool Vice President Ray Snook.

Aero Tool sells products to both distributors and on the retailmarket to customers as diverse as zoos and ice rinks, which typi-cally use larger size squeegees. The company also performs punchpress work, stamping parts for various customers.

Despite being approached, over the years, by companies inChina seeking the possibility of making Aero Tool squeegee partsin that country, the company has resisted and still uses materialspurchased in the United States. This is in keeping with the compa-ny’s efforts to help keep American jobs from going overseas. AeroTool assembles products at its Illinois facility.

“We buy all of our material here in the United States,” Snooksaid. “We buy nothing overseas and we shop around and get thebest prices we can find.”

BBM.July.v 6/28/10 3:54 PM


Aero Tools wide and varied squeegee product offerings include:n Aluminum Channel Floor Squeegee — a spark proof

squeegee constructed of an aluminum channel and stamped steelhandle socket with a neoprene rubber blade. The rubber can bechanged by simply sliding it into the channel and tightening onealuminum retention screw. The unique handle socket permitspush-pull action for all around use;n Wooden Floor Squeegee — an inexpensive floor squeegee

made from kiln-dried hardwood with a longwearing rubber;n Lightweight Steel Floor Squeegee — a combination

squeegee/scraper made from 18-gauge plated steel angle with astamped handle socket and rubber assembled with screw and nuts;n Curved-End Floor Angle Steel Squeegee — designed for

controlling fluids and is adapted to large floor areas due to thegreater volume per sweep. Constructed of heavy angle iron andstamped steel handle socket. It is equipped with a neoprene rub-ber blade; n Two-Edge Floor Squeegee — provides twice the conven-

ience and economy with two working blade edges and is availablein either straight or curved end. Constructed of two-piece heavygauge steel and is provided with a neoprene rubber blade. Thestamped steel handle can be quickly adjusted to a desired positionby two wing nuts;n The Regal Crown Window Cleaner — a leader in its class for

outstanding service and dependability. This unit is made of springtempered plated steel featuring a two piece frame with angle front.It also features a plated steel handle and screws with two or threerubbers;n The Silver Crown Steel Window Cleaner — designed to give

the highest performance with rugged use. It is constructed of atwo-piece spring tempered plated steel frame and plated steel lockring handle equipped with two long wearing superb rubbers;n The Master Crown Squeegee — an economical, ruggedly

constructed squeegee that is ideal for both home and industry. Theacceptance of the Master Crown offers a wide scale market ofconsumers. It features one-piece U-shaped plated steel channel,plated steel handle and two top quality rubber blades;nMonarch Crown Window Cleaner — a well built, serviceable

window cleaner in the low priced field. The frame is a U-shapedchannel of galvanized steel riveted to a standard plated steel han-dle with a split end rubber clinched in the frame;n Professional Crown Pull Thru Squeegee — features solid

brass parts with a sliding type lock ring handle. This professionalwindow cleaner permits easy change of rubber, channel, or han-dle position. The quality construction together with a single rub-ber blade makes a long lasting, precise window cleaner. TheProfessional Crown is the top of the line; andn Heavy Duty Window Squeegee — meets most demanding

requirements for both industrial and household use, including tileapplications. A top quality steel channel and extruded hard rubberblade are featured on a durable wooden handle.

While the current downturn remains at the forefront of econom-ic news, Snook reported that Aero Tool has remained on “an evenkeel.” A large part of the company’s ability to weather the reces-sion has been due to its lack of debt.

“Our building, all of our equipment and everything that is inthis building is paid for,” Snook said. “If I had a mortgage ormaterial payments or machine payments, I would probably havebeen out of business a long time ago. We have watched ourspending.

“We are staying pretty busy. We have a website and people fromall around are calling us and placing orders. We haven’t had anylayoffs or cut back any of our employees’ hours. It is staying fair-ly decent.”

Aero Tool is also continuing its program of saving money toallow it to deal with any future difficult economic stretches.

Challenges remain, however, as Snook is concerned about rawmaterial prices going up and the increasing burden of local, stateand federal taxes.

“We don’t spend money unless it is absolutely necessary,”Snook said.

Contact: Aero Tool, Inc., 2324 N. 17th Ave., Franklin Park, IL 60131.

Phone: 847-455-5550; Fax: 847-455-5501.E-mail: [email protected].

Website: www.squeegeesbyaero.com.

Sanderson MacLeod, a large volume medical brush manufac-turer, has introduced the Z-Tip; a new protective brush tip formedical brushes.

Sanderson MacLeod has a patent pending on the invention andis manufacturing the Z-Tip for endoscopic cleaning brushes andcytology brushes. Other applications are currently being devel-oped. According to the company, endoscopy and cytology brush-es must have smooth protective tips in order to protect sensitiveand expensive equipment, and to ensure proper cell collection andpatient safety.

In setting out to find a better way to solve existing problems,Sanderson MacLeod searched beyond the brush industry andfound the answer in material joining engineering. As a result ofmany rounds of research, trials and testing, the companydevised a new manufacturing process using high energy fusionwelding technologies. As a result, the company said it is able tomelt a pre-constructed core wire section of a twisted wire brush

or stylet into a consistent, smooth and inseparable protective tip— the Z-Tip.

Z-Tip advantages include:• It has a mirror-like surface and therefore won’t scratch or scar;• It is made of one-piece construction, which means that the tip

cannot fall off, the wire cannot protrude through the tip, and theentire brush is stronger and will not unravel;

• It is manufactured in a fully automated inline process thatmakes the product economical to the buyer and ensures uniformi-ty for every brush;

• Because the Z-Tip brush is one metallurgic unit, there are nobiocompatibility issues and no need to get separate FDA approvalfor the tip; and,

• The manufacturing process is not petroleum-based.Visit www.ZTipBrush.com for more information.

Sanderson MacLeod IntroducesMedical Brush Tip

BBM.July.v 6/28/10 3:54 PM

By Rick MullenBroom, Brush & Mop Associate Editor

As the curtain fell on 2009, many companies were not sorry tosee it go, and hoped that in the new year they would see the lightat the end of the recession tunnel. As there were signs during the

first six months of 2010 that the economy was beginning toimprove, executives of companies interviewed recently by

Broom, Brush & Mop Magazine, for the most part,remain optimistic, but cautious.

While the jury is still out on whether or not 2010 will bethe beginning of the end of the nation’s worse econom-ic stretch since the 1930s, business at Gordon Brush

Mfg. Co. and Milwaukee Dustless Brush, both headquartered inCommerce, CA, has been on an upswing.

President and CEO of both companies, Kenneth Rakusin,reported, “Business has picked up considerably. We have hired anumber of people and we are happy, as opposed to being unhappylike we were last year.”

Founded in 1951, Gordon Brush manufactures quality customand standard brushes, including cylinder, hand-held, block, indus-trial, artist, strip, twist-in-wire and others. Rakusin has co-ownedthe company with Bill Loitz since 1998. Rakusin is also a formerpresident of the American Brush Manufacturers Association(ABMA), serving in 2005-2007.

Gordon Brush acquired Milwaukee Dustless Brush inDecember 2005. MDB, which operates a production facility inDelavan, WI, manufactures a complete line of sweeping and mop-ping items as well as a large selection of squeegees.

Three other companies have also been acquired in recent yearsunder the Gordon Brush umbrella. Marx Brush, a manufacturerof artist, cosmetic and forensic brushes, formerly located in NewJersey and now located in Commerce, was purchased in 1999.

JEK, also located in Commerce, was acquired in October 2006.JEK manufactures brushes and abrasives for the printed circuit

board industry and other applications.A third company, Redtree Industries, of Newark, NJ, was

acquired in conjunction with Gordon Brush in 2008. A third part-ner, John Leone, was brought on board to manage the business.Redtree is a producer of paint applicator products.

Through the worst of the recession, Rakusin said the companiesdid everything they could to survive.

“We reduced our head count. We temporarily reduced hours andwages. We cut every cost we could possibly cut. We lowered ourinventory level to correspond with the reduced level in business. Thatis how we survived the worst part of the recession,” Rakusin said.

The companies’ efforts seemto have paid off as many of themeasures taken to survive thedownturn have been reversed.

“Now, we have added backlabor, wages that were cut andhours that were reduced,”Rakusin said. “We are kind ofbusting at the seams trying tokeep up with our customers’demands. As we move into theend of June, our order back-logs are all strong. Unlesssomething unforeseen happens,we think we will be in prettygood shape for the rest of this year.

“People are replenishing inventory levels that they cut andreduced so dramatically last year. Replenishment — we knew itwould happen; it was just a matter of when it would happen.”

Recession notwithstanding, Gordon Brush and MDB have con-tinued to develop new products and to improve existing lines.

“Gordon Brush will be introducing a new line of brushes specif-ically for ‘clean room’ applications,” Rakusin said. “In ourMilwaukee Dustless business, we are on the third generation ofour eMop™. We just keep improving the product.”

Kenneth Rakusinof Gordon Brush / Milwaukee

Dustless Brush


BBM.July.v 6/28/10 3:54 PM


The eMop System is a fully self-contained dispensing mop sys-tem, as well as a fully integrated dust and sweep tool.

In discussing the future, Rakusin sees two major challenges.“Health insurance is becoming more and more difficult to man-

age and we have seen significant increases in raw material costs.These are the two major issues that concern us,” he said.“However, I am certainly an optimist. I see continued increases in busi-ness. We have made, and will continue to make, investments in ourbusinesses. We know that we are going to be here in the long term.”

Rakusin is also optimistic that wage increases by overseas com-petitors in places such as China, and other issues, may bode wellfor U.S. manufacturers in the long run.

“One day, when China revalues its currency, that will makethem less competitive and will make America stronger again. Wehave seen some of our customers who were buying overseas comeback to the states because of a variety of reasons, including longlead times, higher prices and quality issues.”

Contact: Gordon Brush Mfg. Co., 6247 Randolph St., Commerce, CA 90040.Phone: 323-724-7777; Fax: 323-724-1111.

E-mail: [email protected]: www.gordonbrush.com; www.milwaukeedustless.com.

www.redtreeind.com; www.jek-inc.com.

In the beginning, Industrial Brush Corporation, ofPomona, CA, founded in 1947, primarily serviced the foodprocessing, street sweeping and car wash sectors. Today, IBC

specializes in the design and manufacture of custom brushes forthe industrial sector, offering strip, rotary, spiral cylinder, splitcylinder and staple set brushes for a myriad of applications. Thecompany also operates a facility in Lakeland, FL.

As the nation’s economy con-tinues to struggle, there havebeen some positive signs thatthe worst may be over.

“We saw business improvingsomewhat toward the end of lastyear and that has continued toimprove the first half of thisyear,” said IBC President JohnCottam, was president of theABMA (2001-2003).

Before the economy crashed,IBC had made some changes thathelped it through the recession,including selling its Canadiandivision.

“Prior to the economy turning bad a couple of years ago, wehad already done some restructuring,” Cottam said. “As aresult, we were prepared for what happened with the economy.We did institute a salary freeze for one year, but we did not lay-off any of our people.”

Traditionally, IBC has worked hard to control costs, to produceefficiently, to maintain good employees and to adapt to a changingmarketplace. Another important factor in weathering the economicstorm was the company’s continuation of its commitment to providegood service coupled with high quality products. One of the compa-ny’s slogans is “Specials are our specialty.” IBC’s experienced staffand field sales personnel are experts at helping customers decide on

the best brush design to meet a specific application.IBC brushes are used in a wide variety of applications, includ-

ing condenser cleaning, bakery conveyor cleaning, egg and poul-try cleaning, food processing, glass washing, printed circuitboards, RV and truck spray shields, brush shields, trommel screencleaning, vehicle washing and food processing.

As for what lays ahead for the rest of the year, Cottam is bothhopeful and cautious.

“We just hope things will keep going the way they are going,”he said. “Right now, we are seeing things improving, but we arefearful that it won’t last.

“I think the biggest challenges for businesses are going to begovernment-related in terms of greater regulation, greatertaxation and a great deal of uncertainty in Washington,(D.C.), which is why I feel anxious about the future.”

Cottam sees the long-term future of IBC and the industries itserves as being hard to predict, while events continue to unfold ata rapid pace in both the economic and political arenas.

“The future will depend on what happens in the near term withthe political situation,” he said. “However, there is always reasonto be optimistic. We have been through bad patches before.”

Contact: Industrial Brush Corp., P.O. Box 2608, Pomona, CA91769-2608. Phone: 909-591-9341; Fax: 909-627-8916.

Website: www.industrialbrush.com.E-mail: [email protected].

Servicing several markets, including construction supply,professional detailer supply, retail hardware and janitorialsupply, Magnolia Brush Manufacturers, Ltd., of

Clarksville, TX, located in the northeast corner of the state, hasbeen making brushes since 1907. Today, the company specializesin staple-set manufacturing, offering more than 500 products.

The economic downturn of the past couple of years has been espe-cially cruel to the construction industry, a large segment of MagnoliaBrush’s customer base. However, not all is doom and gloom as busi-ness during the first half of 2010 appears to be on an upward path.

“Business is on an upswing for sure. It is definitely betterthan it was last year,” said Magnolia Brush PurchasingDirector Gary Townes. “I don’t know if I would characterizesales being ‘great’ in any particular segment of our businessright now, but it has stabilized, which is good.

“It is still a tough road in the construction market. However, Ithink the janitorial, industrial and automotive segments have sta-bilized and have started to grow just a little again.”

Magnolia Brush’s history goes back to 1907 when GeorgeZehetner founded the company in Houston, TX, calling it theHouston Brush Company. In 1918, the company relocated toDallas, TX, and became known as Magnolia Brush ManufacturingCo. In 1947, George Zehetner sold the company to Carl W.Zehetner and Albert Schultz. At that time, the company wasincorporated as Magnolia Brush Manufacturers, Inc.

In 1953, the company moved to Clarksville, becoming the city’sfirst corporate business. Carl Zehetner retired in 1995 and sold thecompany to Kenneth W. Backus. Backus, who began atMagnolia Brush in 1966, continues to oversee the operation of thebusiness today. In 2003, the company restructured and was con-verted to a limited partnership, now operating under the nameMagnolia Brush Manufacturers, Ltd.

The company’s current location features more than 100,000

John Cottamof Industrial Brush

Corporation

BBM.July.v 6/28/10 3:54 PM


square feet of floor space. Distribution is made in all 50 states andin some foreign countries.

Throughout its history, Magnolia Brush has been committed toemployee safety, product quality, competitive pricing and superi-or customer service, which has been a major factor in the compa-ny being able to remain viable during these tough times.

To further enhance its traditional high-quality customer service,Magnolia Brush has recently implemented a new software package.

Product innovation has also historically been one of MagnoliaBrush’s strengths. One of its newer offerings, the FlexSweep broom,has proven to be a popular addition to the company’s product lineup.

Marketed as “the world’s toughest broom,” Magnolia Brushhighlighted the FlexSweep at the National Hardware Show® inLas Vegas, NV, in 2009.

The FlexSweep features a special molded flexible connectorthat makes the broom virtually unbreakable and eliminates theneed for a brace. The brush head is completely filled, eliminatingthe “V” in most brushes caused by the handle holes.

“The FlexSweep has been doing well in sales,” Townes said.As the construction industry is a large part of Magnolia Brush’s

customer base, mixed economic signals concerning this segmentare making it difficult to predict how business might play out forthe rest of the year and into the near future.

“It would be nice if we had a crystal ball to look through,”Townes said. “We are pretty much tied to the construction marketand it seems like some days we hear good things about it, and thenother days we hear something bad. It is really hard to tell for sure.

“There are so many houses setting empty around the country andthe economy is still depressed in many places. I don’t know if wewill see any big gains in construction for another couple of years.

“What the future might bring also depends on what hap-pens around the world. Europe is having a financial crisis ofits own now, and whether we like it or not, this is going toimpact our stock market, too.

“In addition, we don’t know how the new health care law isgoing to effect things. It could add major costs to businesses allover the country. Everybody is just going to have to tighten theirbelts, watch their pennies and be more conservative than theywere in the past. It is just going to be wait and see situation for theforeseeable future.”

Contact: Magnolia Brush Manufacturers, Ltd., P.O. Box 932, Clarksville, TX 75426.

Phone: 800-248-2261; Fax: 800-427-5231.Web site: www.magnoliabrush.com.E-mail: [email protected].

Tanis, Inc., of Delafield, WI, manufactures custom-engi-neered brushes, including stapled, strip and twisted-in-wire brushes, in a variety of dimensions for a wide array of

applications. While not necessarily a “high volume” manufactur-er, the company is known for its specialized “technical” brushes.

Industries and applications where Tanis, Inc., brushes are usedinclude printing, automotive, agriculture, pulp and paper, printedcircuit boards, bakery/candy, gun cleaning, overhead and dockdoors, metal finishing, lawn and garden, food industry, weatherseals and lab and medical.

For the first half of 2010, Tanis, Inc. owner and co-founderScott Tanis reports that business has been good.

“We have been able to pick up some new customers and

some of our core business hasstarted to recoup — not to the levelit was before the economic down-turn, but it has improved,” Tanissaid. “We are coming out with a newabrasive line of radials. We havebeen able to advance our custom linein abrasives, and that has been goodfor us.”

As has been the case for the past17 years, Dave Schill remains as thedirector of sales and marketing. Inthat capacity, Schill will be focused

on handling Tanis’ largest customer relationships, as well as pro-viding input and oversight to Tanis’ marketing efforts.

In order to add more resources into the mix, Tanis has recruitedMark Cuthbert as the new vice president-sales and marketing.Cuthbert brings a wide range of experience to Tanis, havingworked for manufacturers as well as distributors, selling and mar-keting a broad range of engineered products.

Being specialists in making custom engineered products, theability to work closely with customers in a critical skill. At Tanis,Inc., tried and true principles, such as the “Golden Rule” and “thecustomer is always right” are taken very seriously.

Another of the company’s strengths has historically been itshighly trained and veteran staff. When it comes to its employees,Tanis Inc., has a high retention rate — a source of company pride.

Helping the company successfully get through these recession-ary times has been its commitment to its customers and keeping itsemployees on board.

“Like many companies, we have had to ‘hunker down’ a lit-tle bit,” Tanis said. “We didn’t want to lose the people whohave worked for us and have done a great job over the years,and we accomplished that goal.”

Tanis, Inc., dates back to 1987, when Tanis and his father,Chuck, who was over 60 years old at the time, started the businessliterally from scratch. Chuck Tanis is now retired. The companyoperates out of a 48,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facilityrecently constructed in Delafield.

As for the outlook of the remainder of 2010, Tanis said he is“cautiously optimistic.”

He added: “I am hopeful as we are starting to see business pick-ing up in general for everyone.”

One of the challenges in predicting the future and/or makingprojections is the uncertain political and business climate, whichsometimes seems to change dramatically on a daily basis.

“We are essentially a U.S. company,” Tanis said. “With modern-day pressures brought about by overseas competition, we wonderif U.S. manufacturing will become a growth area, or will it contin-ue to dwindle.

“I am hopeful and optimistic that some business will return to thiscountry. However, there is so much going on, it is hard to fathom.

“Nonetheless, I think no matter what the future brings, Tanis,Inc., will survive and be strong in the big picture going forward,but there could definitely be some bumps in the road along theway. In the long term, we will be OK.”

Contact: Tanis, Inc., 3660 Kettle Court, East Delafield, WI53018. Phone: 262-646-9000; Fax: 262-646-9005.

Web site: www.tanisinc.com; E-mail: [email protected].

Scott Tanis of Tanis, Inc.

BBM.July.v 6/28/10 3:54 PM

Imports Continue Rising Trend For The First QuarterBy Rick Mullen

Broom, Brush & MopAssociate Editor

U.S. government trade figures for the first quarter of 2010 indi-cate raw material imports were up in two of the four categoriesoutlined in this issue. For March 2010, raw material imports wereup in two of the four categories outlined, with one remaining thesame, compared to March 2009.

Import totals for the first quarter of 2010 were up in six of theseven finished goods categories outlined from the same time peri-od in 2009. In March 2010, six of the seven categories outlinedalso recorded increases, compared to March 2009.

RAW MATERIAL IMPORTSHog Bristle

The United States imported 6,587 kilograms of hog bristle inMarch 2010, down about 81 percent from 34,125 kilograms import-ed in March 2009. During the first quarter of 2010, 25,674 kilo-grams of hog bristle were imported, about a 71 percent decreasefrom 87,834 kilograms imported during the first quarter of 2009.

China sent all of hog bristle to the United States during the firstquarter of 2010.

The average price per kilogram for March 2010 was $6.86,down about 29 percent from the average price per kilogram forMarch 2009 of $9.71. The average price per kilogram for the firstquarter of 2010 was $18.66, up about 56 percent from the averageprice per kilogram of $11.99 for the first quarter of 2009.

Broom And Mop HandlesThe import total of broom and mop handles during March 2010

was 1.5 million, the same as in March 2009. During the first quar-ter of 2010, 4.3 million broom and mop handles were imported,compared to 5.2 million for the first quarter of 2009, a decrease ofabout 17 percent.

During the first quarter of 2010, the United States received 1.5million broom and mop handles from Brazil and 1.2 million fromHonduras.

The average price per handle for March 2010 was 70 cents,down about 4 percent from 73 cents for March 2009. The averageprice for the first quarter of 2010 was 69 cents, a decrease of about5 percent over the average price recorded for the first quarter of2009 of 73 cents.

Brush BacksMarch 2010 imports of brush backs totaled 680,030, up about

79 percent from the March 2009 total of 380,095 brush backs.During the first quarter of 2010, 1.9 million brush backs wereimported, up about 214 percent from 604,228 for the first quarterof 2009.

Canada shipped 751,946 brush backs to the United States dur-ing the first quarter of 2010, while China shipped 647,538.

The average price per brush back was 53 cents during March2010, up about 89 percent from the average price for March 2009of 28 cents. For the first quarter of 2010, the average price perbrush back was 49 cents, up about 20 percent from the averageprice of 41 cents for the first quarter of 2009.

Metal HandlesThe import total of metal handles during March 2010 was 3.1

million, up about 63 percent from 1.9 million for March 2009.During the first quarter of 2010, 8.7 million metal handles wereimported, up about 34 percent from 6.5 million for the first quar-ter of 2009.

During the first quarter of 2010, Italy shipped 4.4 million metalhandles to the United States, while China sent 3.2 million andSpain exported 1 million.

The average price per handle for March 2010 was 47 cents,down about 30 percent from 67 cents for March 2009. The aver-age price for the first quarter of 2010 was 49 cents, down about 22percent from 63 cents for the first quarter of 2009.

FINISHED GOODS IMPORTSBrooms Of Broom Corn

Valued At Less Than 96 CentsImports of brooms of broom corn valued at less than 96 cents

per broom during March 2010 totaled 19,176, up about 15 percentfrom 16,668 brooms imported during March 2009. The above fig-ures were the same for the first quarter of this year.

All the brooms were imported from Mexico.The average price per broom in March 2010 was 93 cents, up

about 21 percent from 77 cents for March 2009. The aboveaverage price was also the same for the first quarter of thisyear.

Brooms Of Broom CornValued At More Than 96 Cents

The United States imported 852,604 brooms of broom corn val-ued at more than 96 cents per broom during March 2010, com-pared to 779,677 in March 2009, an increase of about 9 percent.During the first quarter of 2010, 2.3 million brooms of broom cornwere imported, up about 15 percent from 2 million imported dur-ing the first quarter of 2009.

Mexico shipped 2.2 million brooms to the United States duringthe first quarter of 2010.

The average price per broom for March 2010 was $2.50, down2 cents from March 2009. The average price per broom for thefirst quarter of 2010 was $2.49, up 3 cents from the first quarter of2009.

Brooms & Brushes Of Vegetable MaterialThe import total of brooms and brushes of vegetable material

during March 2010 was 276,855, up about 202 percent from91,670 brooms and brushes imported during March 2009. Duringthe first quarter of 2010, 718,167 brooms and brushes wereimported, up about 141 percent from 297,560 imported during thefirst quarter of 2009.

Sri Lanka exported 437,885 brooms and brushes to the UnitedStates during the first quarter of 2010, while Vietnam sent113,640.

The average price per unit for March 2010 was $1.74, downabout 9 percent from $1.91 for March 2009. The average price forthe first quarter of 2010 was $1.46, a decrease of about 19 per-cent from the average price recorded for the first quarter of 2009of $1.80.


BBM.July.v 6/28/10 3:54 PM


ToothbrushesThe United States imported 78.4 million toothbrushes in March

2010, up about 17 percent from 67.2 million imported in March2009. During the first quarter of 2010, 202.4 million toothbrusheswere imported, an increase of about 6 percent from 191.6 millionimported during the first quarter of 2009.

China sent 129.5 million toothbrushes to the United States dur-ing the first quarter of 2010, while Switzerland sent 30.8 million.

The average price per toothbrush for March 2010 was 20 cents,down 2 cents from March 2009. The average price for the first quarterof 2010 was also 20 cents, down 2 cents from the first quarter of 2009.

Shaving BrushesThe United States imported 10.8 million shaving brushes in

March 2010, down about 5 percent from 11.4 million imported inMarch 2009. During the first quarter of 2010, 23.8 million shav-ing brushes were imported, a decrease of about 31 percent from34.3 million imported during the first quarter of 2009.

China sent 9.9 million shaving brushes to the United States dur-ing the first quarter of 2010, while Mexico sent 8.3 million andGermany shipped 4.7 million.

The average price per shaving brush for March 2010 was 9cents, down about 36 percent from 14 cents for March 2009. Theaverage price for the first quarter of 2010 was 12 cents, downabout 14 percent from 14 cents for the first quarter of 2009.

Paint RollersThe United States imported 5 million paint rollers in March

2010, up about 19 percent from 4.2 million imported in March2009. During the first quarter of 2010, 14.6 million paint rollerswere imported, an increase of about 42 percent from 10.3 millionimported during the first quarter of 2009.

China sent 10.4 million paint rollers to the United States duringthe first quarter of 2010, while Mexico sent 3.3 million andGermany shipped 770,254.

The average price per paint roller for March 2010 was 37 cents,down about 26 percent from 50 cents for March 2009. The aver-age price for the first quarter of 2010 was 40 cents, down about 29percent from 56 cents for the first quarter of 2009.

PaintbrushesU.S. companies imported 21.3 million paintbrushes during

March 2010, up about 30 percent from 16.4 million paintbrushesimported during March 2009. Paintbrush imports for the firstquarter of 2010 were 55.3 million, up about 16 percent from 47.7million recorded for the first quarter of 2009.

China shipped 46.7 million paintbrushes and Indonesia shipped7.7 million to the United States during the first quarter of 2010.

The average price per paintbrush for March 2010 was 28 cents,down about 20 percent from the March 2009 average price of 35cents. The average price for the first quarter of 2010 was 27 cents,down about 27 percent from the average price of 37 cents for thefirst quarter of 2009.

EXPORTSExport totals for the first quarter of 2010 were up in three of the

four categories outlined, compared to the first quarter of 2009. InMarch 2010, three of the four categories also reported increases inexports, compared to March 2009.

Brooms & Brushes Of Vegetable MaterialsThe United States exported 10,624 dozen brooms and brushes

of vegetable materials during March 2010, up about 66 percentfrom the March 2009 total of 6,411 dozen. Exports of brooms andbrushes of vegetable materials during the first quarter of 2010were 28,708 dozen, up about 86 percent from 15,447 dozen for thefirst quarter of 2009.

The United States shipped 7,284 dozen brooms and brushes toMexico during the first quarter of 2010. Meanwhile, Canadareceived 7,204 dozen and France imported 6,806 dozen.

The average price per dozen brooms and brushes was $24.18 inMarch 2010, compared to $33.98 for March 2009, a decrease ofabout 29 percent. The average price per dozen brooms and brush-es for the first quarter of 2010 was $29.95, a decrease of about 31percent from the average price per dozen for the first quarter of2009 of $43.48.

ToothbrushesDuring March 2010, the United States exported 9.6 million

toothbrushes, down about 2 percent from the total recorded inMarch 2009 of 9.8 million. During the first quarter of 2010, 26.2million toothbrushes were exported, down about 10 percent from29 million exported during the first quarter of 2009.

The United States exported 8.9 million toothbrushes to Canadaduring the first quarter of 2010, while sending 8.3 million tooth-brushes to Mexico and 3.1 million to South Korea.

The average price per toothbrush for March 2010 was 76 cents,up about 33 percent from the March 2009 average price of 57cents. The average price per toothbrush for the first quarter of2010 was 73 cents, up about 30 percent from 56 cents for the firstquarter of 2009.

Shaving BrushesThe export total of shaving brushes during March 2010 was 1.4

million, up about 90 percent from 735,204 recorded for March2009. During the first quarter of 2010, 3.2 million shaving brush-es were exported, compared to 1.9 million during the first quarterof 2009, an increase of about 68 percent.

During the first quarter of 2010, Canada imported 883,585brushes from the United States, while Mexico imported 704,671.

The average price per shaving brush for March 2010 was $1.17,down about 36 percent from $1.83 for March 2009. The averageprice for the first quarter of 2010 was also $1.17, down about 42percent from the average price recorded for the first quarter of2009 of $2.01.

PaintbrushesThe export total of paintbrushes during March 2010 was

216,950, up about 122 percent from 97,652 paintbrush exportsrecorded for March 2009. During the first quarter of 2010,470,641 paintbrushes were exported, up about 120 percent from213,700 during the first quarter of 2009.

Canada imported 265,527 paintbrushes from the United Statesduring the first quarter of 2010, while The Netherlands received61,591 and The United Kingdom imported 42,918.

The average price per paintbrush for March 2010 was $10.96,down about 37 percent from $17.43 for March 2009. The averageprice for the first quarter of 2010 was $12.87, down about 24 per-cent from $16.92 recorded for the first quarter of 2009.

BBM.July.v 6/28/10 3:54 PM


Foreign Merchandise1404902000 Broomcorn (Sorghum Vulgare Var. Technicum)Used Primarily In Brooms Or In Brushes, Whether or Not

In Hanks or BundlesMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/Ton Value Net Q/Ton ValueCanada 6 15,384 8 19,245Hondura 4 15,092Austral 4 19,167TOTAL 6 15,384 16 53,504

9603100000 Brooms & Brushes, Consisting of Twigs or OtherVegetable Materials Bound Together, With or Without Handles

March Year To DateCountry Net Q/Dozen Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 707 32,681 1,076 49,964Mexico 262 8,649 262 8,649TOTAL 969 41,330 1,338 58,613

9603210000 Toothbrushes, Incl. Dental-Plate BrushesMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 1,378,354 1,411,990 3,800,459 2,974,980Mexico 3,839 43,097 42,761 137,919C Rica 5,184 4,267Brazil 25,920 15,552U King 69,192 29,753 78,689 37,467France 281 2,880Fr Germ 1,732 4,840 2,732 8,859Singapr 150,997 72,377Kor Rep 7,344 3,735 13,104 6,550Hg Kong 6,336 3,546Taiwan 8,784 4,711 34,704 18,167Austral 76,896 37,189TOTAL 1,469,245 1,498,126 4,238,063 3,319,753

9603290000 Shaving Brushes, Hairbrushes, Nail Brushes,Eyelash Brushes & Other Toilet Brushes For Use On The Person

March Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 88,332 134,697 251,016 408,156Mexico 196,416 102,745 358,463 256,484Ecuador 6,480 9,541U King 66 3,600 5,436 52,711Nethlds 547 5,000Belgium 18 3,430France 1,732 93,495 2,976 160,648Fr Germ 295 15,925 12,499 82,022Switzld 46 8,740Russia 16,896 7,710 112,797 51,473Ukraine 20,736 7,788Kazakhs 15,360 6,850Spain 15,360 5,465Italy 570 5,212 2,458 22,473Thailnd 20,000 4,030 20,000 4,030Phil R 6,768 9,043 17,520 26,789Japan 124,272 32,021 234,519 64,148Austral 377 3,444Senegal 9,216 5,733TOTAL 455,347 408,478 1,085,824 1,184,925

9603300000 Artists Brushes, Writing Brushes and Similar Brushesfor the Application of CosmeticsMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. Value

Canada 349,743 1,190,159 1,079,670 3,606,381Mexico 48,682 100,456 110,802 245,091Dom Rep 396 5,655Trinid 3,185 11,751Colomb 1,998 35,929 1,998 35,929Brazil 5,080 18,744 75,261 152,301Sweden 2,374 15,605 3,204 20,086Finland 1,012 3,734U King 27,491 89,988 72,883 252,191Nethlds 513 3,104 513 3,104Belgium 18,442 68,039 49,199 184,079France 4,468 9,502 26,935 81,536Fr Germ 4,577 10,514 22,643 47,484Czech 2,940 6,346 4,786 9,253Switzld 7,578 27,963 23,545 86,872Estonia 138 3,107 138 3,107Poland 1,872 11,189Russia 137,434 210,723 188,529 359,248Ukraine 13,649 33,332 31,889 75,323Kazakhs 5,194 10,686 14,713 31,084Spain 11,680 20,907 15,400 31,605Italy 17,309 122,677 49,548 241,633Greece 1,101 5,318 3,321 10,115Israel 879 3,245 2,028 7,486Arab Em 2,635 10,106Malaysa 1,524 5,624Singapr 1,671 6,167China 23,259 57,507 28,104 75,386Kor Rep 10,011 25,719 21,676 66,246Hg Kong 1,106 4,079 6,217 22,939Taiwan 591 3,617 1,436 6,735Japan 9,632 38,138 23,070 104,425Austral 4,505 19,786 25,226 97,847Rep Saf 1,998 7,373TOTAL 710,374 2,135,190 1,897,027 5,919,085

9603402000 Paint RollersMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 43,885 65,167 631,344 692,543Mexico 54,204 72,012 103,701 142,508Hg Kong 157 2,764TOTAL 98,089 137,179 735,202 837,815

9603404020 Paint PadsMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueMexico 24,039 36,624 38,991 142,764Switzld 1,125 7,987 1,125 7,987TOTAL 25,164 44,611 40,116 150,751

9603404050 Paint, Distemper, Varnish or Similar Brushes(Except Brushes of 9603.30)

March Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 8,144 113,703 14,288 181,779Mexico 663 12,402 958 22,850Sweden 133 2,751 133 2,751Norway 1,042 21,616U King 472 9,775Israel 178 3,695Vietnam 770 15,960TOTAL 8,940 128,856 17,841 258,426

9603900000 Hand-Operated Mechanical Floor Sweepers,Not Motorized, Mops & Feather Dusters; Prepared Knots & Tufts

For Broom or Brush Making, NESOIMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 114,813 970,148 201,612 1,867,512Mexico 11,248 147,991 21,475 313,871C Rica 2,560 41,528 4,634 75,165Panama 523 8,486 4,641 47,052

EXPORTSMarch Exports By Country

BBM.July.v 6/28/10 3:54 PM


Bermuda 994 3,426 994 3,426Trinid 244 3,962 469 7,611Chile 189 3,072 1,376 13,399Brazil 740 12,000Iceland 55 2,774 55 2,774Finland 157 2,545 699 11,336Denmark 238 3,868 543 8,812U King 622 12,758Ireland 278 20,803 914 31,117Nethlds 1,000 13,322France 484 7,856 1,532 24,856Fr Germ 3,182 48,240 3,666 56,086Czech 385 6,250Russia 82 8,844Spain 482 7,815Italy 181 2,941S Arab 166 2,693 166 2,693Afghan 550 5,351Thailnd 296 4,801 296 4,801Phil R 179 2,905 235 5,438China 616 9,999 616 9,999Kor Rep 296 4,800Hg Kong 80 4,956Japan 1,467 16,866 1,467 16,866Austral 643 10,431 1,945 29,936N Zeal 725 11,760Rep Saf 107 6,047TOTAL 138,332 1,312,394 252,585 2,629,594

Domestic Merchandise1404902000 Broomcorn (Sorghum Vulgare Var. Technicum)Used Primarily In Brooms Or In Brushes, Whether or Not

In Hanks or BundlesMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/Ton Value Net Q/Ton ValueMexico 2 8,130France 5 17,280 15 51,840Portugl 1 2,756 1 2,756TOTAL 6 20,036 18 62,726

9603100000 Brooms & Brushes, Consisting of Twigs or OtherVegetable Materials Bound Together, With or Without Handles

March Year To DateCountry Net Q/Dozen Value Net Q/Dozen ValueCanada 3,349 112,343 7,204 281,300Mexico 5,467 80,514 7,284 137,575Belize 66 5,056C Rica 179 3,275Bahamas 287 14,654 1,011 44,072Jamaica 293 8,098 293 8,098S Lucia 99 2,877N Antil 146 4,800Brazil 749 26,413U King 1,116 61,060Belgium 196 6,463France 6,806 139,370Fr Germ 25 3,840Czech 6 2,502 6 2,502Poland 84 3,460 84 3,460Portugl 14 7,108Israel 26 4,044 26 4,044S Arab 1,652 62,169Singapr 309 10,200 731 24,106Phil R 401 4,761 401 4,761Kor Rep 83 4,770Japan 402 16,365 537 22,638TOTAL 10,624 256,941 28,708 859,757

9603210000 ToothbrushesMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 3,402,891 2,388,884 8,868,834 5,547,725

Mexico 2,817,153 1,018,225 8,263,761 3,156,497Guatmal 3,456 2,845Belize 12,672 5,025Salvadr 22,242 58,997Hondura 18,144 15,836C Rica 11,450 19,602Panama 9,792 5,350Bermuda 270 3,507Jamaica 15,960 4,527 25,773 10,842Haiti 10,000 5,200Dom Rep 42,827 25,312 204,779 70,716Antigua 5,400 5,222Barbado 9,132 2,851 9,132 2,851Trinid 15,984 5,787 33,138 33,733N Antil 12,334 17,508 14,154 26,393Colomb 6,604 67,565 9,641 98,635Venez 25,704 29,298 271,428 144,206Ecuador 11,520 3,341Peru 33,408 12,769 33,408 12,769Chile 36,288 16,184 134,712 54,845Brazil 305,116 390,747Paragua 693 3,618Argent 89,504 65,598 672,548 204,816Finland 6,576 6,212 6,576 6,212Denmark 27,936 29,030 27,936 29,030U King 36,111 248,559 80,433 596,869Nethlds 49,818 372,762 153,748 1,313,821France 1,067 10,920 8,567 15,570Fr Germ 88,050 792,645 408,575 2,007,415Austria 463 8,400 463 8,400Switzld 676 6,912 676 6,912Russia 2,453 20,643Italy 948 9,697 3,347 27,668S Arab 18,932 19,871Arab Em 9,342 11,278 11,022 15,108India 97,920 186,995 359,520 686,498Thailnd 526 5,380 83,342 33,010Vietnam 250,000 37,500Malaysa 8,784 2,749Singapr 40,816 24,890 148,924 95,532Phil R 3,100 7,100 3,100 7,100China 326,719 396,723Kor Rep 1,222,082 728,685 3,106,472 1,581,605Hg Kong 178,855 129,678 587,731 411,555Taiwan 459,550 201,282 491,712 240,713Japan 89,454 522,269 217,835 1,163,391Austral 744,732 330,994 955,887 565,568N Zeal 14,240 4,409 14,240 4,409Rep Saf 600 6,139 1,200 10,129TOTAL 9,580,651 7,298,744 26,230,257 19,187,319

9603290000 Shaving Brushes, Hairbrushes, Nail Brushes,Eyelash Brushes & Other Toilet Brushes For Use on the Person

March Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q./No. ValueCanada 336,082 402,799 883,585 881,209Mexico 149,378 383,608 704,671 799,456Salvadr 1,440 10,483C Rica 8,000 2,880 8,000 2,880Turk Is 600 2,556Cayman 39 2,705 39 2,705Barbado 1,658 6,822Trinid 648 8,000 1,794 20,000N Antil 7,104 8,969 10,152 13,427Colomb 137,700 28,780 191,700 40,066Venez 984 9,000 102,234 31,323Peru 1,250 7,235 1,286 13,047Chile 211 2,917 5,384 40,082Brazil 702,000 148,824 712,032 152,436Argent 1,819 16,633 3,638 33,266Sweden 100 5,000 4,210 24,601Norway 374 6,657U King 940 25,172 29,154 189,895

BBM.July.v 6/28/10 3:54 PM

Nethlds 2,334 7,415Belgium 17,700 19,904France 7,356 60,277 17,007 134,908Fr Germ 26,877 93,218 41,535 147,505Czech 15 3,085Poland 1,875 17,150Russia 2,040 7,060 2,040 7,060Italy 5,898 58,287S Arab 2,620 6,727Arab Em 726 31,718 2,041 49,659Thailnd 2,147 19,628 7,026 64,251Singapr 305 2,790China 8,127 74,319 18,020 167,573Kor Rep 1,168 10,674Hg Kong 21,868 172,666 369,427 518,541Japan 7,206 95,800 11,151 146,587Austral 6,983 21,622 8,377 32,079Gabon 551 5,040Rep Saf 1,553 45,195 2,100 50,195TOTAL 1,431,138 1,674,025 3,173,141 3,720,341

9603300000 Artists Brushes, Writing Brushes and Similar Brushesfor the Application of CosmeticsMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 369,415 887,818 1,091,977 2,570,839Mexico 25,993 91,902 96,050 325,223Salvadr 3,014 11,122Panama 2,606 8,422 2,689 11,171Jamaica 1,266 4,672Dom Rep 4,688 25,797Trinid 106 4,058Colomb 2,458 9,068Venez 1,608 5,934 1,608 5,934Peru 1,951 7,884 1,951 7,884Chile 960 5,400Brazil 74,937 291,714 76,320 296,816Argent 1,962 3,630 1,962 3,630Sweden 949 3,500 6,320 23,317Norway 5,567 30,179 23,707 130,704Finland 553 2,805 1,965 8,015U King 62,671 482,426 122,682 904,349Ireland 6,121 25,395 7,615 33,487Nethlds 2,943 10,859Belgium 9,051 33,394France 11,287 44,040 41,636 156,140Fr Germ 5,984 25,958 11,527 46,411Austria 3,594 13,259Switzld 1,265 14,135 1,514 16,869Estonia 633 9,600Poland 2,954 10,899 9,452 34,876Spain 1,980 2,791 1,980 2,791Italy 3,172 9,191 10,038 38,038Turkey 692 2,552Arab Em 2,054 7,580 2,054 7,580Thailnd 2,580 9,516 2,580 9,516Singapr 3,510 12,952Phil R 5,464 20,160 5,464 20,160China 26,131 96,414Kor Rep 908 3,352 3,186 36,609Hg Kong 8,303 36,894 151,255 327,427Taiwan 717 2,646 1,762 6,500Japan 23,994 69,702 26,038 79,062Austral 17,169 72,691 62,364 239,446B Ind O 3,206 11,304 3,206 11,304Tnzania 4,605 46,000Rep Saf 1,502 5,542TOTAL 645,370 2,182,468 1,834,055 5,644,787


Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 133,255 407,413 613,078 1,622,083

Mexico 29,555 100,813 120,646 275,913C Rica 2,009 18,000 2,768 35,776Panama 2,644 7,292 3,215 17,316Bermuda 1,313 3,185 2,677 27,125Jamaica 800 6,200Dom Rep 1,703 53,583 3,569 71,583Aruba 2,181 38,279Colomb 183 3,209Venez 3,625 55,034Chile 9,250 13,745Argent 80 11,665Finland 7,000 14,180U King 136 4,399 1,136 12,699Nethlds 151 2,650France 220 3,861Fr Germ 7,109 15,008 17,228 35,566Switzld 1,600 7,040Italy 500 8,780Israel 700 12,289 700 12,289S Arab 41,218 39,434India 3,000 13,650 3,853 28,620Vietnam 912 16,000 912 16,000Malaysa 185 3,250 595 8,953Singapr 242 4,250China 9,900 18,909 10,570 25,328Hg Kong 1,135 19,912 74,410 70,317Japan 1,542 13,766 1,542 13,766Austral 1,976 32,628N Zeal 1,368 5,043 1,368 5,043Egypt 1,980 4,060 1,980 4,060Rep Saf 117,596 81,141TOTAL 198,446 716,572 1,046,869 2,604,533

9603404020 Paint PadsMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueMexico 2,370 9,585 26,082 61,560Dom Rep 300 3,948Ecuador 399 2,830 399 2,830Peru 2,898 26,850Finland 2,000 3,320 2,000 3,320U King 235 7,330 235 7,330Israel 1,267 42,575 1,267 42,575Singapr 515 3,653 515 3,653China 498 5,976Kor Rep 644 4,569Hg Kong 4,500 15,390Austral 2,885 26,105Rep Saf 200 4,580 200 4,580TOTAL 6,986 73,873 42,423 208,686

9603404050 Paint, Distemper, Varnish or Similar Brushes(Except Brushes of 9603.30)

March Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 147,858 1,101,681 265,527 2,317,267Mexico 4,044 83,875 4,044 83,875Salvadr 822 17,056Hondura 169 5,951 1,722 35,275C Rica 1,876 56,336Panama 1,129 24,311 4,670 101,819Bermuda 416 8,628 2,663 34,972Bahamas 1,749 62,263 3,066 92,663Cayman 2,152 23,432 3,878 45,142Dom Rep 147 3,059 147 3,059Antigua 382 11,996Monsrat 145 7,673 277 15,608S Lucia 235 6,522Barbado 342 7,102 342 7,102Trinid 993 8,715N Antil 124 9,082Aruba 469 9,733Colomb 1,492 30,937 4,255 82,291


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Surinam 127 2,638 127 2,638Peru 275 5,693 806 25,648Chile 2,754 57,120 8,601 178,407Brazil 4,067 80,968Argent 2,365 49,055 3,473 58,475Sweden 1,040 15,600 3,120 46,800Norway 248 5,142 248 5,142Denmark 2,277 16,094 10,619 59,179U King 21,837 397,637 42,918 818,207Ireland 1,020 3,974 2,202 9,532Nethlds 16,985 341,008 61,591 1,211,616France 472 9,790 1,571 42,339Fr Germ 1,546 6,887 6,645 67,343Poland 1,635 27,550 1,675 33,320Israel 4,269 88,543Arab Em 600 3,900 1,600 13,400Vietnam 1,548 32,104 2,874 59,616Malaysa 480 4,344 1,857 13,444Singapr 513 5,342 2,128 25,077Indnsia 1,372 28,464 1,372 28,464China 1,416 44,567Kor Rep 1,029 21,352Hg Kong 213 6,023 4,457 83,894Japan 1,544 18,876Austral 429 15,402N Zeal 4,298 60,105Moroc 213 4,415TOTAL 216,950 2,377,277 470,641 6,055,282

9603900000 Hand-Operated Mechanical Floor Sweepers,Not Motorized, Mops & Feather Dusters; Prepared Knots & Tufts

for Broom or Brush Making, NESOIMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 235,196 2,468,273 766,337 7,052,398Mexico 67,809 895,942 188,110 2,654,152Salvadr 30 2,910C Rica 2,157 34,977 3,514 41,205Panama 3,420 55,470 8,468 127,442Bermuda 2,063 18,277 2,123 22,370Jamaica 1,404 22,000 1,404 22,000Dom Rep 1,018 16,513Trinid 3,134 31,762Aruba 1,152 14,969 1,152 14,969Colomb 1,500 16,950 1,722 20,550Venez 36 2,846 899 16,846Ecuador 275 4,455 880 16,694Peru 11 2,983 475 13,348Chile 8,573 43,628Brazil 3,372 59,634 5,355 104,073Uruguay 992 7,965 1,048 11,350Argent 762 11,069Norway 1,154 18,717Finland 856 13,878Denmark 92 3,096 287 14,357U King 760 12,331 13,674 153,624Ireland 234 17,518 1,343 35,512Nethlds 9,876 105,815 22,922 194,645Belgium 565 9,168 1,723 30,130Luxmbrg 20 3,254 235 6,749France 988 16,030 3,662 59,399Fr Germ 635 12,248 3,343 62,987Switzld 1,169 7,757 2,014 17,687Estonia 48 5,046Lithuan 26 6,671 26 6,671Poland 22 5,135Russia 2,082 33,770 3,260 52,871Spain 522 8,374 1,393 16,821Italy 2,639 32,993 5,559 75,938Cyprus 1,932 11,183Israel 398 16,779Kuwait 298 4,832 298 4,832S Arab 1,175 17,622 4,476 36,903

Qatar 5,602 90,869Arab Em 190 2,993 1,755 24,956Afghan 666 10,801 2,057 33,372India 1,896 10,977 2,886 24,908Thailnd 175 9,654Malaysa 231 3,745 231 3,745Singapr 239 3,883 842 21,806Brunei 170 2,763 170 2,763Phil R 100 4,480China 12,968 120,605 19,718 233,586Mongola 163 2,641 163 2,641Kor Rep 3,866 31,027 8,237 66,088Hg Kong 72 4,126 10,736 170,500Taiwan 1,523 24,700 3,996 73,294Japan 1,409 24,836 15,683 111,790Austral 1,784 28,468 9,758 158,636N Zeal 1,629 26,422 5,058 40,003N Caldn 235 3,816Tonga 950 7,831Reunion 194 3,150Rep Saf 1,042 10,084 1,478 17,160TOTAL 368,316 4,204,291 1,153,653 12,168,191

IMPORTS0502100000 Pigs’, Hogs’ or Boars’ Bristles

and Hair and Waste ThereofMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/KG Value Net Q/KG ValueChina 6,587 45,176 25,674 479,196TOTAL 6,587 45,176 25,674 479,196

0502900000 Badger Hair and OtherBrushmaking Hair and Waste Thereof

March Year To DateCountry Net Q/KG Value Net Q/KG ValueChina 9,100 182,840 18,090 337,446TOTAL 9,100 182,840 18,090 337,446

0511993300 Horsehair and Horsehair Waste, Whether or NotPut Up As A Layer With or Without Supporting Material

March Year To DateCountry Net Q/KG Value Net Q/KG ValueParagua 366 9,512 366 9,512Nethlds 255 2,460 255 2,460China 23,452 185,486 65,733 540,106TOTAL 24,073 197,458 66,354 552,078

1404903000 Istle Used Primarily In Brooms or In Brushes,Whether or Not In Hanks or Bundles

March Year To DateCountry Net Q/KG Value Net Q/KG ValueMexico 45,755 221,309 109,419 534,536TOTAL 45,755 221,309 109,419 534,536

4417002000 Broom and Mop Handles, 1.9 CM or More InDiameter and 97 CM or More In Length, Of Wood

March Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 26,748 40,369 26,748 40,369Mexico 59,000 5,446 94,000 11,209Hondura 558,384 278,749 1,226,848 601,821Colomb 30,024 14,068Brazil 532,699 500,149 1,469,515 1,387,740Indnsia 184,712 151,502 747,866 588,371China 107,376 47,783 671,293 279,605

IMPORTSBroom and Brush

March Imports By Country

BBM.July.v 6/28/10 3:54 PM


TOTAL 1,468,919 1,023,998 4,266,294 2,923,183

4417004000 Paint Brush and Paint Roller Handles, Of WoodMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/Variable Value Net Q/Variable ValuePoland 27,994 103,178Italy 513,253 1,821,905Thailnd 22,745Indnsia 101,009 296,703China 195,103 422,615Taiwan 16,708TOTAL 837,359 2,683,854

4417006000 Brush Backs, Of WoodMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 296,535 109,840 751,946 270,323Brazil 124,725 145,056 253,050 288,996Sri Lka 73,490 56,621 193,340 177,048Vietnam 6,000 7,268China 185,280 48,300 647,538 166,335TOTAL 680,030 359,817 1,851,874 909,970

4417008010 Tool Handles of WoodMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/Variable Value Net Q/Variable ValueCanada 10,646 26,377Mexico 48,997Brazil 235,093 624,436China 39,349 85,801Taiwan 17,760 44,848

TOTAL 302,848 830,459

4417008090 Tools, Tool Bodies, Broom or Brush Bodies,Shoe Lasts and Trees, of WoodMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/Variable Value Net Q/Variable ValueCanada 19,863 219,299Mexico 13,074 13,074Hondura 12,751 12,751Chile 251,884 1,379,899U King 10,580 12,777France 6,993Fr Germ 3,118Switzld 2,983 2,983Russia 3,201Italy 10,070 10,070India 138,873 332,294Sri Lka 96,090 289,908Vietnam 13,474 37,205Indnsia 75,304 83,820China 183,847 395,396Taiwan 13,494 27,171Japan 411,648 1,203,466TOTAL 1,253,935 4,033,425

7326908576 Metal Handles For Brooms, Mops, Paint ApplicatorsMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 1,500 2,209Mexico 47,530 17,165 71,358 25,986Brazil 1,530 9,620 3,390 19,650Denmark 530 4,828 1,100 10,732Spain 120,960 54,685 1,042,560 529,755Italy 1,775,668 692,836 4,393,620 1,815,255China 1,133,338 666,444 3,214,226 1,846,767Taiwan 1,260 7,817 1,260 7,817TOTAL 3,080,816 1,453,395 8,729,014 4,258,171

9603100500 Wiskbrooms, of Broom Corn, LT=.96 EA. Prior to Entryor Withdrawal for Consumption of 61,655 Dozen In Calendar Year

March Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueMexico 2,400 2,191 8,364 7,568China 6,000 4,229TOTAL 2,400 2,191 14,364 11,797

9603104000 Other Brooms, of Broomcorn, LT=.96 EA, Prior to Entry orWithdrawal For Consumption of GT=121,478 Dozen in Calendar Year

March Year To DateMexico 6,288 5,345TOTAL 6,288 5,345

9603105000 Other Brooms, of Broomcorn, LT=.96 EA, at Entry orWithdrawal For Consumption of GT=121,478 Dozen in Calendar Year

October Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueMexico 19,176 17,857 19,176 17,857TOTAL 19,176 17,857 19,176 17,857

9603106000 Other Brooms, Of Broomcorn, Valued Over .96 EachMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueMexico 812,188 2,056,437 2,173,589 5,457,870Hondura 40,416 73,085 81,744 152,991TOTAL 852,604 2,129,522 2,255,333 5,610,861

9603109000 Brooms & Brushes, Consisting of Twigsor Other Vegetable Materials Bound Together,

With or Without Handles, NESOIMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 500 4,026Mexico 3,168 13,906 9,684 22,162

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Brazil 79,645 43,505Italy 2,156 6,623Turkey 2,000 5,220 2,000 5,220India 4,993 2,464Sri Lka 234,275 378,119 437,885 678,455Thailnd 9,164 38,769 12,664 44,023Vietnam 18,500 15,597 113,640 90,274Phil R 1,000 2,341 3,000 4,894China 8,748 27,631 51,400 142,565Kor Rep 600 3,669TOTAL 276,855 481,583 718,167 1,047,880

9603210000 Toothbrushes, Incl. Dental-Plate BrushesMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 26,347 15,062 57,364 35,768Mexico 1,365,696 229,476 3,934,125 572,725Guatmal 76,800 12,762Brazil 902,592 261,860 2,138,128 572,873Sweden 1 4,318 139,402 53,928Finland 30,000 108,193 30,000 108,193U King 9,648 8,096 9,648 8,096Ireland 534,096 266,767 1,679,952 558,450Nethlds 98,545 22,628France 900 9,531Fr Germ 1,955,138 1,360,701 4,617,377 3,642,357Hungary 70,440 101,886 87,936 124,753Switzld 16,067,299 3,706,726 30,776,809 7,462,187Italy 331,600 128,462 776,800 296,603Turkey 1,620 20,940 2,620 30,929Israel 459,072 58,662India 2,257,626 438,344 7,947,580 1,274,845Bngldsh 95,040 7,428Thailnd 561,188 72,389 2,744,008 317,219Vietnam 3,548,130 265,829 7,198,616 696,778Malaysa 3,095,810 111,795 6,948,730 247,622Indnsia 156,000 14,700 380,400 56,181China 46,230,042 8,723,522 129,465,463 23,422,701Kor Rep 796,600 76,591 816,600 86,983Hg Kong 59,140 6,181 240,140 16,776Taiwan 155,608 72,352 333,000 160,222Japan 7,440 5,171 1,118,790 92,387Austral 266,050 19,322 266,050 19,322TOTAL 78,428,111 16,018,683 202,439,895 39,968,909

9603294010 Hairbrushes, Valued Not Over .40 EachOctober Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueThailnd 32,688 13,684 32,688 13,684China 2,681,922 731,833 8,769,139 2,366,731Hg Kong 16,800 2,350 92,100 13,675TOTAL 2,731,410 747,867 8,893,927 2,394,090

9603294090 Shaving Brushes, Nail Brushes,Eyelash Brushes & Other Toilet Brushes For Use On The Person,

Valued Not Over .40 EachMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueMexico 3,219,000 216,949 8,314,260 554,256Fr Germ 990,888 84,004 4,681,536 816,485Switzld 147 2,892Italy 33,048 9,168 66,975 18,580India 200,866 9,951 569,966 19,300Vietnam 6,048 2,585 6,048 2,585China 6,259,302 646,231 9,858,044 1,275,525Kor Rep 84,816 19,761Hg Kong 134,640 18,320 134,640 18,320Taiwan 50,400 9,576Japan 138 2,586 138 2,586TOTAL 10,843,930 989,794 23,766,970 2,739,866

9603302000 Artists Brushes, Writing Brushes & Similar Brushes ForApplication Of Cosmetics, Valued Not Over .05 Each

March Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 150,500 6,578Mexico 162,000 4,680 2,483,400 55,701Fr Germ 1,895,000 80,228 6,012,000 193,958Italy 2,276,900 31,929 9,991,300 109,761India 702,960 9,729 1,393,920 26,097China 13,748,475 353,864 34,085,467 822,600Kor Rep 629,600 22,625 3,549,600 138,878Hg Kong 240,672 5,380 240,672 5,380Taiwan 150,000 5,200 150,000 5,200TOTAL 19,805,607 513,635 58,056,859 1,364,153

9603304000 Artists Brushes, Writing Brushes & Similar Brushes ForApplication of Cosmetics, Valued Over .05 But not Over .10 Each

March Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueMexico 6,490,212 495,544 15,752,524 1,212,521Brazil 96,000 6,819 96,000 6,819Fr Germ 2,057,427 173,373 3,061,499 257,993Italy 230,400 15,600 460,800 31,250Indnsia 239,808 26,070 239,808 26,070China 12,278,897 881,809 39,206,130 2,956,715Kor Rep 350,000 25,769 1,204,000 87,080Hg Kong 48,920 4,428 131,062 9,726Taiwan 115,200 10,111TOTAL 21,791,664 1,629,412 60,267,023 4,598,285

9603306000 Artists Brushes, Writing Brushes & Similar Brushes ForApplication Of Cosmetics, Valued Over .10 Each

March Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 791 44,484 983 53,117Mexico 13,663,072 2,039,664 39,135,002 6,351,293Dom Rep 253,338 245,841 487,729 527,837U King 296,070 521,949 466,316 870,337Ireland 112 11,245Belgium 280 14,639 410 24,133France 116,383 316,421 284,739 846,866Fr Germ 1,082,035 295,002 2,997,548 1,033,208Switzld 733 18,538 2,697 51,085Spain 16,378 119,237 32,120 186,852Italy 52,701 15,784 210,755 81,207Israel 957 3,051 957 3,051India 354,937 160,760 2,079,727 819,699Sri Lka 73,044 35,092 361,692 190,342Thailnd 120,204 137,216 502,488 356,786China 13,663,121 8,546,289 41,457,750 25,100,818Kor Rep 247,572 117,300 837,262 551,482Hg Kong 284,340 101,424 1,423,065 507,935Taiwan 102,600 46,038 218,108 117,389Japan 289,986 1,116,919 814,276 2,990,140Mauritn 2,860 9,407 6,818 30,140Maurit 2,363 8,783TOTAL 30,621,402 13,905,055 91,322,917 40,713,745


Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 2,608 12,643 4,816 14,935Mexico 1,274,576 542,220 3,269,047 1,416,492Sweden 400 3,006Nethlds 720 5,347 720 5,347Fr Germ 215,450 43,692 770,254 151,838China 3,396,193 1,189,752 10,393,481 4,104,985Hg Kong 156,144 71,968 162,680 81,969TOTAL 5,045,691 1,865,622 14,601,398 5,778,572

9603404020 Paint Pads (Other Than Of Subheading 9603.30)March Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValuePakistn 53,600 4,942 53,600 4,942

BBM.July.v 6/28/10 3:54 PM


China 1,033,234 786,116 2,405,965 1,802,664TOTAL 1,086,834 791,058 2,459,565 1,807,606

9603404040 Natural Bristle Brushes, Other Than Brushes OfSubheading 9603.30

March Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 10,228 12,886 26,820 37,207Mexico 11,576 13,160France 63,552 18,150Fr Germ 3,256 16,642 3,256 16,642Italy 26,200 138,328Israel 1,719 5,415Thailnd 39,978 43,529 39,978 43,529Vietnam 368,256 36,153 742,506 72,909Indnsia 5,799,342 889,456 14,080,589 2,267,385China 213,020 64,703 295,162 91,522Taiwan 34,604 15,901Japan 1,518 17,513 1,518 17,513Austral 984 2,851TOTAL 6,435,598 1,080,882 15,328,464 2,740,512

9603404060 Paint, Distemper, Varnish/Similr Brushes Exc Brushesof Subheading 9603.30 NESOI

March Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 4,060 13,764 4,097 17,045Brazil 8,112 2,813 8,112 2,813Sweden 25,250 17,397U King 14 2,258France 1,300 6,840 1,300 6,840Fr Germ 90,685 32,900 98,531 59,221Spain 264 4,117Italy 26,156 21,013Thailnd 49,868 38,325Vietnam 1,400 3,686 1,400 3,686Indnsia 2,720,120 449,381 7,656,116 1,312,776China 18,395,343 5,381,635 46,672,129 12,975,398Kor Rep 43,060 12,155Taiwan 111,200 37,877 351,048 171,940Japan 4,470 9,860 317,542 131,086Austral 1,095 7,750 1,095 7,750TOTAL 21,337,785 5,946,506 55,255,982 14,783,820

9603908010 WiskbroomsMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueBelgium 240 8,495Switzld 4,722 4,571 4,722 4,571China 2,448 4,827 42,263 75,485TOTAL 7,170 9,398 47,225 88,551

9603908020 Upright BroomsMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueMexico 52,242 56,399 114,840 127,771Guatmal 10,128 15,469 28,728 34,075Colomb 5,160 5,310 5,160 5,310Brazil 7,824 48,433Argent 5,344 9,911 5,344 9,911Italy 29,136 47,639 107,056 180,041Vietnam 3,000 2,262 15,400 17,243China 633,962 761,372 2,272,576 2,738,623Hg Kong 12,096 16,303Taiwan 2,004 14,052TOTAL 738,972 898,362 2,571,028 3,191,762

9603908030 Push Brooms, 41 CM or Less in WidthMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueMexico 1,276 4,855U King 2 4,598 2 4,598China 5,160 12,662 44,346 55,206

Taiwan 300 2,371TOTAL 5,162 17,260 45,924 67,030

9603908040 Other Brooms, NESOIMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 70,106 120,574 257,028 454,331Mexico 748,575 1,065,648 1,902,338 2,528,166Guatmal 20,640 20,558 41,280 40,916Salvadr 19,440 18,858 71,040 69,573Colomb 2,608 21,315 61,932 122,856Brazil 9,035 74,741 36,183 244,981Czech 50,720 40,391 114,992 91,254Switzld 3,576 4,682 3,576 4,682Russia 4,000 2,553Spain 23,334 45,355 66,150 100,453Italy 79,307 79,075 316,977 332,520Israel 900 4,434 900 4,434India 11,500 8,328 14,400 14,026Sri Lka 65,556 162,192 185,747 464,769Thailnd 7,000 12,128Vietnam 900 2,401 2,950 5,135China 365,259 439,918 1,362,085 1,537,586TOTAL 1,471,456 2,108,470 4,448,578 6,030,363

9603908050 Brooms, Brushes, Sqeegees, Etc., NESOIMarch Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 3,069,749 7,342,227Mexico 3,282,381 8,697,102Salvadr 21,270Hondura 1,692,251 4,167,213Dom Rep 7,448 90,744Colomb 99,722 272,181Brazil 25,144 63,240Argent 69,248Sweden 2,678 22,460Norway 10,125Finland 11,675 11,675Denmark 190,513 454,151U King 28,520 200,309Nethlds 153,975 457,710Belgium 56,991 214,317France 18,701 29,271Fr Germ 266,307 621,592Austria 2,305 2,305Czech 38,867Switzld 50,704 57,470Estonia 5,786Lithuan 16,597Poland 42,687 45,213Spain 37,375 307,785Italy 505,117 1,013,491Turkey 4,847 16,220Israel 33,241 47,484India 25,549 243,438Pakistn 379,804 1,099,930Bngldsh 15,527 15,527Sri Lka 393,529 703,017Thailnd 279,695 1,405,976Vietnam 13,076 224,124Malaysa 24,757 54,995Singapr 5,609 5,609Indnsia 73,128 132,936Macao 3,602China 23,344,611 79,584,781Kor Rep 236,880 599,407Hg Kong 343,921 1,023,606Taiwan 1,037,004 2,911,652Japan 71,998 194,966Austral 247,789 250,347Egypt 31,275 67,035TOTAL 36,106,483 112,817,001

BBM.July.v 6/28/10 3:54 PM


U.S. Imports 54 Short Tons Of Broom Corn In AprilBy Harrell Kerkhoff

Broom, Brush & Mop Editor

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, 54 short tonsof broom corn were imported into the United States during April2010. Total value of this import was $200,869, with a cost per tonof $3,720 ($1.86 per pound). All of this month’s broom cornarrived from Mexico.

After the first four months of this year, 276 short tons of broomcorn entered the United States with total value of $807,236. Thecost per ton of this broom corn was $2,925 ($1.46 per pound). Allbroom corn imported into the United States during the first fourmonths of 2010 arrived from Mexico.

Bart Pelton, of PelRay International, LLC, in San Antonio,TX, said April’s broom corn import figures looked accurate tohim, both in tonnage and total value. He noted that the reportedaverage values of imported broom corn for February ($1.21 perpound) and March ($1.32 per pound) were too low compared totrue market conditions.

Regarding conditions in the broom corn growing region ofTorreon,Mexico, Pelton said on June 18 he expected harvesting to be delayedby a couple of weeks. A cooler and wetter than normal early growingseason pushed back development of the first crop from Torreon.

“Normally, the heaviest part of the first Torreon harvest isaround the first week of July. We are expecting it to now be aroundthe third week of July for this year,” Pelton explained. “Also, therewas some broom corn destroyed by hail (earlier in the spring) andwas replanted. We won’t be seeing that broom corn (arrive in theUnited States) until the end of August or so.”

When interviewed during the middle of June, Pelton added thatit was too early to know for sure the true size of this year’s firstbroom corn crop from the Torreon region.

“The weather has been OK for the most part. The broom cornsituation sounds encouraging right now, but due to the lack ofgood security in Mexico, nobody is willing to travel to the grow-ing areas and get a firsthand report. It’s hard to know for sure howmuch (broom corn) has actually been planted,” he said.

As for Mexican broom corn pricing, Pelton said that as of June18, it has remained fairly stable.

“At the moment, I think people are waiting to get a good feel forthe size of the new crop. Then we will see if the market moves ornot,” he said. “The good news is, there’s plenty of carry-overbroom corn left from last year. This is different from (2009) at thistime, when basically the new crop had not yet come in and every-body was sold out. There was about a month last year when it wasvery difficult to get any broom corn.”

Pelton said the presence of carry-over broom corn in Mexicoshould hold off any major price increases.

Regarding the current state of yucca fiber, he added that priceshave slightly increased as of the middle of June.

“Part of (the increase) is exchange rate related, and part of it isdue to a reduction in capacity,” Pelton explained.

He added that yucca processors in the “Douglas area,” locatedjust south of southeastern Arizona, continue to receive competi-tion from those yucca processors located in Saltillo, Mexico,which is not far from Monterrey, Mexico.

“The (processors) in the Douglas area have a several-cents-a-pound freight disadvantage when shipping to Cadereyta versusthose in Saltillo. They also have to ship full truckloads which is notthe case in Saltillo,” Pelton said. “The (Douglas) processors arerelying more on exports to the United States, and that market hasshrunk considerably.”

Pelton was positive when asked how overall business has beenat his company.

“Business has considerably improved over this time last year, althoughlast year didn’t provide avery high bar. I think ourcustomers are seeing abetter year (compared to2009) as well. It’s not upto pre-recession levels,but the trend is encour-aging,” he said. “It’s alsonow the time of year(summer months) whenthe mop and broombusiness tends to bestronger.”

Tim Monahan, ofThe Thomas Mona-han Co., in Arcola,IL, felt that April’s

Broom Corn Imports2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Total CostTons Tons Tons Tons Tons Tons Value Per Ton

January 125 61 116 89 14 48 $165,991 $3,458 ($1.73)

February 44 215 90 91 21 84 $202,685 $2,413 ($1.21)

March 77 65 83 41 50 90 $237,691 $2,641 ($1.32)

April 120 56 48 150 11 54 $200,869 $3,720 ($1.86)

May 36 135 172 98 24

June 65 81 63 65 20

July 124 160 80 66 23

August 177 216 80 76 42

September 124 152 131 133 22

October 133 184 92 123 28

November 200 96 160 29 53

December 164 76 101 17 16

1,389 1,497 1,216 978 324 276 $807,236 $2,925 ($1.46)

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import value mark was too high. He noted that, according to gov-ernment import figures, there was a 54 cent per pound increasefrom March to April of this year, which is suspect.

“The market went up a little but not 50-plus cents per pound,”Monahan said.

He added that future Mexican broom corn pricing has becomevery hard to predict.

“There have been bargains as pricing has dropped some for spotpurchases, but it’s hard to know what will happen. The (Mexicanbroom corn) market has become very thin,” Monahan explained.“We think (pricing) is going to come down with the new (Torreon)crop, but until we know more (about the harvest) it will remain hardto tell for sure.”

Overall, Monahan said the level of business toward the end ofspring has been slightly up. There remains cautious optimism.

“As a rule, the third quarter is the best quarter for the cleaningindustry. As fragile as this economy is, however, it’s hard to pre-dict the future,” he explained.

Richard Caddy, of R.E. Caddy & Co., Inc., in Greensboro, NC,also felt the reported value of April’s imported broom corn was high,but only slightly. He had no qualm, however, about the reportedamount of short tons that the government said arrived into the UnitedStates.

Caddy added that his company has been purchasing carry-overbroom corn from Mexico while waiting for the new Torreon crop.This carry-over broom corn, he said, is of good quality. Thereremains an issue, however, with U.S. inspections taking place atthe Mexican/U.S. border in Laredo, TX.

“It’s not as bad as it was last year, but we still have (trailers)being inspected for apparently no reason. It’s something we haveto put up with,” Caddy said.

He acknowledged that the first broom corn crop from Torreonthis year will probably be a few weeks late to harvest due toweather issues earlier in the growing season.

“If you look over the past 10 to 15 years, the (first Torreon) crophas varied as to when it’s been ready, whether it’s in June or mid-July. Weather always plays a role,” Caddy said. “At least the (haildamage this spring) occurred early in the growth cycle.”

Pertaining to the price of Mexican broom corn, Caddy said on June21 that it has remained a bit high but stable. Yucca fiber pricing,meanwhile, has firmed up a bit compared to the previous month.

“It’s still priced, however, within a reasonable range,” he added.

INDEX OF ADVERTISERSABMA ......................................................................31Caddy & Co., Inc., R.E.............................................11Carlson Tool .............................................................11Crystal Lake................................................................9Jones Companies .......................................Front CoverLine Manufacturing, Inc. ..........................................15Manufacturers Resource .............................................3Monahan Co., The Thomas .......................................5PelRay International ...................................................2Shanghai Aubi Metals Co. .........................Back CoverSt. Nick Brush Co.....................................................13

Precision BrushAdds To Sales And CustomerService Team

Precision Brush Company, a manu-facturer of custom and stock industri-al brushes since 1951, has announcedthe addition of Mary Bernacki to itssales and customer service team.

A graduate of Kent State University,Bernacki brings over 24 years of customer service experience toPrecision Brush Company.

Prior to joining Precision Brush, she spent 12 years as a projectmanager at Bowne & Co.

Precision Brush provides custom brush design and manufactur-ing, specializing in metal channel strip brushes.

Visit www.precisionbrush.com for more information.

Mary Bernacki

Nominations Open For ABMA’sInnovation Excellence Award

The American Brush Manufacturers Association (ABMA) isnow accepting nominations for the ABMA William CordesInnovation Excellence Award. The award recognizes outstandinginnovation of manufactured products, components or services inthe broom, brush, mop and roller industries.

Nominations will be exhibited at the 2011 ABMA AnnualConvention. Entries for the award will be accepted until Nov. 30,2010. The award presentation will be made during the ABMAAnnual Convention in March 2011.

Visit www.abma.org/innovativeexcellenceaward.

Housewares Show Works To Stay In Chicago

The International Housewares Association announced on June 7that it is negotiating a long-term agreement with McCormick Placeto keep the International Home & Housewares Show in Chicago.

The decision to stay in Chicago was made after the Illinois GeneralAssembly in May passed McCormick Place reform legislation meantto reform labor rules and establishes exhibitor rights, ultimately low-ering the cost of doing business at the convention center.

“This is extremely positive news for our industry,” said PhilBrandl, IHA president. “IHA’s Board of Directors has long been insupport of staff’s research-based assessment that Chicago is the ideallocation for its International Home & Housewares Show to be held,but only if the cost environment is competitive with other venues.”

Industry News

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OObbiittuuaarryy

John L. Parrish Jr., ofManufacturers Resource,Inc., died April 23, 2010.

Parrish, 69, of Duluth, GA,was vice president ofManufacturers Resource,Inc., for several years andassisted owner Sarah BurnettParrish in the business. Thecompany is a supplier of var-ious types of materials andmachinery for the mop andbrush industry.

Parrish received his bach-elor’s degree from GeorgiaTech University and his master’s degree from GeorgiaState University.

He served in the U.S. Army and was a Vietnam veteran.Parrish also worked for Mead Packaging, having retiredafter 32 years of service.

He is survived by his wife, Sarah Parrish, of Duluth. A funeral service was held at Bill Head Funeral Home,

Duluth Chapel, with interment in Rogers-Bell Cemetery inDuluth.

John L. Parrish Jr.

Discovery Channel TV ProgramFeatures Gordon Brush

The Factory Made show on the Discovery Channel aired anepisode on June 1 that included how Gordon Brush, of Commerce,CA, produces wire brushes.

Viewers were able to see the inner workings of the complexitiesneeded to manufacture a wire scratch brush. Gordon Brush hasinvested over $1 million to be a leading manufacturer of brushesin the USA. The company has been making these types of brush-es for almost 60 years and uses ultra modern machinery and tech-niques, including extensive use of robotics to produce 30,000 ofthese brushes per day. Conservatively, the company has producedover 200 million brushes.

According to Gordon Brush CEO Ken Rakusin, "The employ-ees and investments in machinery set Gordon Brush apart from ourcompetitors and allow us to manufacture in the Los Angelesarea."(See Ken Rakusin’s comments on “2010: The First Half” onpage 17).

Since 1951, Gordon Brush has been a leading industrialbrush manufacturer of standard and custom brushes for indus-trial customers around the world. It designs, manufactures andships brushes from a state-of-the-art, 51,600-square-foot facil-ity in Southern California. The company offers more than2,000 standard brushes and over 15,000 custom brushes, andcan modify or custom manufacture any brush to meet uniquespecifications. Visit www.gordonbrush.com.

John L. Parrish Jr.

Industry News

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BBM.July.v 6/28/10 3:54 PM

broom, brush & mop july 2010

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